S. Thomas Foster

The impact of customer contact on environmental initiatives for service firms

The impact of business operations on the natural environment has been a public concern for decades and a research concern for years. To date, the focus of environmental impact research has been almost exclusively on manufacturing industries. Environmental research specific to service industries have been neglected, despite the fact that economies of developed nations are mostly made up of service businesses. This paper explores potential distinctions of service businesses as they may influence management motivation for taking environmentally friendly actions. Through a number of case studies, we observe some commonality of environmental motivations between service and manufacturing industries, as well as some environmental themes unique to services. These themes pertain to customer awareness of environmental initiatives of service firms by virtue of their involvement in the production process. Interestingly, customer involvement can have an adverse affect on environmental initiatives.

The influence of human resource practices on empowerment and employee perceptions of management commitment to quality

Abstract We hypothesized that certain human resource (HR) management practices establish a platform for basing employee empowerment, and that increasing empowerment would be positively related to perceptions of leadership commitment to quality. Using multi-stage structural equation modeling, we tested these hypotheses on data collected internally from 529 employees in a high-technology manufacturer well known for its quality initiatives. Results supported these predictions, and point to ways to further integrate HR management and quality management practices.

User involvement during information systems development: a comparison of analyst and user perceptions of system acceptance

Abstract A sample of 150 users and analysts from multiple organizations and many system projects provided field questionnaire data to test hypotheses about the differences in their perceptions of user involvement (UI) and system acceptance. The Franz and Robey [Franz, C.R., Robey, D., 1986. Organizational context, user involvement, and the usefulness of information systems. Decision Sciences, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 329–356.] instrument was used for data collection and factor analyzed, resulting in more focused and specific measures. Analysis of the data showed that users and analysts did not agree on the users involvement nor did they agree on their perceptions of the acceptability of the system to the user. Relationships of self-ratings of UI with system usage and system acceptance by the user demonstrated high correlations, which were attributed to the narrow focus of the UI and system acceptance measures rather than the original more global measure. Analyst perceptions of UI showed no correlation with a users perceptions of system acceptance.

On differences in how operations and supply chain managers approach quality management

In this research, we administered surveys to operations and supply chain managers from different companies to better understand how they approached quality management. The underlying research question was whether the increased emphasis in supply chain management in the workplace had implications for how quality management is practiced and how quality-related values are emphasised. We found that those who identified themselves as supply chain managers utilised and emphasised quality tools and values to a greater extent than those who identified themselves as operations managers. The tools emphasised by supply chain managers included benchmarking, complaint resolution, design for the environment, ERP, supplier development, focus groups, and supply chain management. The primary theoretical implication of this study is that there exists an emerging field that we can term ‘supply chain quality’. This study provides a preliminary outline of the domain of this field.

Towards a better understanding of supply chain quality management practices

This paper reports the results of a comparative study of quality tools and methods adoption by operations and supply chain managers. A survey was administered to both types of managers in the Western United States. Performing a Kruskal Wallis analysis, we found support for the hypothesis that operations and supply chain managers approach quality management differently. We found that operations managers tend to manage supply chains through procedural methods such as ISO 9000 and supplier evaluation. Supply chain managers tend to be more collaborative, emphasising supplier development and complaint resolution. We found that both types of managers adopted on the job training, data analysis, supply chain management, customer relationship management, project management and surveys. This paper represents another step in defining the field of supply chain quality management.

Does Six Sigma improve performance

This article presents the long-term financial and operational results coming from the implementation of Six Sigma. The results from Six Sigma programs were somewhat mixed. The author found a significant effect on free cash flow (FCF), earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), and asset turnover. Six Sigma did not seem to affect sales return on assets, return on investment, or firm growth. As a result, if firms want to improve cash, earnings, or productivity in using assets, Six Sigma might be of use. In 1998, companies with high cash flows and no quality management program (QMP) had lower FCF in 2002 than companies that had adopted Six Sigma. Companies with low cash flow and no QMP did better than companies using Six Sigma, suggesting that for cash-poor firms, Six Sigma may be a drain on resources. Also, these companies may not have the cash necessary to sustain effective Six Sigma results over four years. Among companies with low and medium asset turnover, Six Sigma led to higher asset turnover. It could be that companies with low asset turnover could benefit more from process improvement implicit in Six Sigma than firms with high asset turnover.

An examination of the relationship between conformance and quality‐related costs

Reports the results of a case study which undertook to examine the relationship between conformance and quality‐related costs. The controversial Lundvall‐Juran economic quality level (EQL) model has been criticized by various authors due to its acceptance of imperfect quality. While persuasive, this emotional aversion to imperfection does not provide a convincing critique of the EQL model. However, the EQL remains widely used in practice. Argues that several assumptions of the EQL model should be questioned including monotonicity, continuity, the positive relationship between prevention/appraisal costs and conformance, the negative relationship between failure costs and conformance, and the combining of costs. Further, the EQL model illustrates a single contingent relationship between quality costs and conformance. Provides several alternative cases of the relationship between quality costs and conformance. The results are then reported and the underlying relationships of the EQL model tested. The results showed that prevention and appraisal costs were positively and significantly associated with conformance. Failure costs were also positively and significantly related to conformance. These results provided support for a contingency view of quality‐related costs.

Quality improvement approach and performance: multisite analysis within a firm

Abstract A contingency-based view of an organization suggests contextual variables, such as leadership, training, product (service) design, and employee relations, vary among firms. This leads to varying levels of quality performance. The interest in this study is to identify the contextual variables within a firm, which affect quality performance and other financial variables. A second study objective is to determine if the variables that affect quality are different in rapid- vs. slow-learning environments. The study was conducted in five manufacturing plants of a supplier to many large automotive firms. Results suggest that quality improvement is enhanced by following a process-oriented, quality control approach to improvement, emphasizing product design, and stressing conformance to specifications. To increase the chance of improved financial performance, the firm would follow a process-oriented, quality control approach to improvement and introduce external quality information. No differences were found between fast and slowly improving plants (improving quality) regarding approach to quality improvement. Expectations were that differences in approach to quality would exist between the two groups and that the slow-to-improve plants would use a more robust set of quality improvement variables.

The Role of Quality Tools in Improving Satisfaction with Government

This article presents the results of a study in a city in the western United States. The authors found that city employees believed that quality knowledge was necessary for improving quality. Results show that departmental leadership was positively associated with teamwork, process improvement and employee satisfaction. Quality knowledge, if followed up with application, can he effective in improving processes. Leadership is necessary to the development of quality tools knowledge. Therefore, both leadership and teamwork are important contextual variables for quality improvement in the public sector.

Leadership, perceived team climate and process improvement in municipal government

Purpose – To examine the role of perceived team climate in facilitating leadership and sociotechnical optimization to affect quality related outcomes in a municipal government.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to employees working in a municipal government, measuring leadership, perceived team climate, technical subsystem components, and team performance. Hypotheses were tested with multiple regression, and the fit of a path model implied by all hypotheses was tested with structural equation modeling.Findings – Institution‐level communications and department‐level leadership had the greatest effects in shaping perceptions of team climate. Perceived team climate predicted process improvement, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction. Perceived team climate also substantially mediated relationships between leadership support for teamwork and technical components with these outcomes.Research limitations/implications – Data were collected at one point in time from a single source...