Quality Management Certification Research Articles

Contextual factors on Toyota Way and Agile Manufacturing: an empirical investigation

This research aims to examine the differences across selected contextual factors on the Toyota Way (TW), agile manufacturing (AM) and their sub-elements. These factors include firm size, nationality of firms, production approaches, IATF 16949 - an international quality management certification in the automotive industry, supplier tiers in supply chains, export levels, and import levels. A survey instrument was developed based on literature, then verified by experts and statistical techniques. ANOVA and independent samples t-test were used to explore the differences across contextual factors of 216 automotive part manufacturers on TW, AM, and their elements. It revealed that there were significant differences across firm size, nationality of firms, and export levels on overall TW, AM and most sub-elements. Insignificant differences across production approaches and IATF 16949 on overall TW, AM and their sub-elements were found. Firms with different contextual factors require different levels of TW, AM and sub-elements. Managers should apply TW and AM elements at suitable levels in accordance with their organizational contexts.This is one of the first studies to empirically investigate the differences across the contextual factors on TW, AM and sub-elements in the same paper from a socio-technical perspective. This study can be used as a basis for further research on integrative practices between lean and agile (leagile) manufacturing.

The influences of organizational contexts on business continuity management

PurposeThis research examines the influences of organizational contexts (i.e. firm size, international level, tier level, export level, product brand and IATF 16949 - an international quality management certification in the automotive industry) on business continuity management (BCM) (i.e. leadership, strategy, planning, application and maintenance).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 216 automotive parts manufacturers in Thailand. Regression analysis was used to test hypotheses.FindingsThe study found that firm size, international level, tier level, export level and product brand had significant positive impacts on overall BCM and every component, except for the insignificant effect of tier level on strategy. IATF 16949 had insignificant impacts on overall BCM and all components, except for maintenance.Originality/valueThis is one of the first research studies to investigate the influences of organizational characteristics on business continuity management.

Analysis of the Fluctuation of the Number of ISO 9001:2015 Certificates in the Republic of Croatia and Assessment of Satisfaction of Business Organisations Leadership with the Certificate

Abstract The ISO 9001:2015 certificate of quality is nowadays the most renowned quality standard in the world. Standardised quality has become an imperative competitive advantage on the market for all serious business organisations. The fluctuation of the number of certificates of quality indicates to what extent companies are willing to ensure the quality of their products and services to customers and clients, and how fast the domestic market is standardised and integrated into the global economy. This paper presents the results of two empirical studies. The first one focused on the analysis of the fluctuation in the number of ISO 9001:2015 certificates in the period from 2008 to 2018, while the second aimed to determine the satisfaction of leadership with the certificate. The study has shown that, during the observed period, the number of certificates of quality in Croatia fluctuated between – 18% and +22% annually. At the annual level, a certain number of companies lose their certificates or opt for decertification. For that reason, a study of the leadership’s level of satisfaction with the ISO 9001:2015 certificate was conducted using a sample of 296 certified business organisations. The study has proven that the leadership showed a high level of satisfaction with the certificate of quality and that they appreciate business organisations with certificates of quality. It demonstrates that the quality management certification has a bright future regardless of the annual fluctuation of the number of certificates.

CSR and ownership interrelation: evidence from Estonia

With time Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) attracts has become a matter of high attention and it is obvious that its influence on companies is increasing. More and more organizations both in Estonia and worldwide are voluntarily implementing non-financial reporting as a part of their business strategy. These initiatives seem to have high impact on the reputation and recognition of the company by stakeholders. The aim of the present research is to investigate whether the type of ownerships is related to the way the company presents CSR related information and the focus of these disclosures. Authors studied the available information of top100 Estonian most successful companies to find out the type of ownership and the type of CSR-related disclosures (web-site or non-financial report) as well as the focus of the reporting about the most popular and commonly used certificates related (health, safety, environment and quality). The findings of the present research clearly demonstrate that Estonian companies have implemented CSR reporting practices with website being the main channel of presentation of CSR related information. It is also important, that the leading issue of CSR disclosure for all types of companies are environmental performance as well as environmental and quality management certification. Results indicated that in case of individual ownership CSR disclosures are less frequent and less aspects are reported, while in case of corporate and institutional ownership, CSR reporting is widely adopted and the wide scope of aspects is reported. In general, it may be concluded that the type of ownership has impact of the type and focus of CSR reporting.

Internal Factors of Improving Organization Quality as Efforts to Improve the Quality of Higher Education Management (Empirical Study on Universities in Surakarta)

This research aims to examine what orientation needs to be considered by the college study program in improving the quality of the organization. The survey method is used in this research, where data collection is done using a questionnaire method. The variables measured are understanding benefits of quality, incentive support, work discipline, continuous improvement, and implementation of quality management certification. Data were obtained from 100 chairmen of higher education study programs in Surakarta City who were accredited with A & B. Sampling was using purposive sampling method where the retrieval technique used certain considerations. Validity test is done by the outer loading technique and reliability testing is done by composite reliability technique. Hypothesis testing uses path analysis where the t test is used as a statistical test. The entire test was carried out with the help of SmartPLS 3 software. The results showed that each hypothesis tested in this study showed a positive influence. Understanding the benefits of quality positive influence on work discipline and continuous improvement. Incentive support has a positive effect on continuous improvement. Work discipline has a positive effect on continuous improvement and implementation of quality management certification. Continuous improvement has a positive effect on the implementation of quality management certification.

Grundfos Dubai awarded ISO 9001.2015 certification

Grundfos Dubai has updated its ISO quality management certification to ISO 9001.2015.

Vaccine Safety and Surveillance for Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) in India.

Assured quality vaccines and safe immunization practices are pre-requisite to successful immunization programs. All vaccines go through stringent safety checks during pre-licensure stage. Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Surveillance program is an integral part of routine immunization program in India to monitor the vaccine safety in the post licensure phase. Indian AEFI Program: National AEFI surveillance relies on passive surveillance and reporting by the health functionaries and practitioners. Vigorous strengthening of AEFI surveillance has resulted in manifold rise in absolute number of AEFI reports across several reporting units in the country in the last decade. Establishment of National AEFI Secretariat, National Technical Collaborating Centre, and development of risk communication strategy as well as quality management certification are some of the unique aspects of this public health program. All serious AEFI reports undergo a systematic causality assessment as per WHO-algorithm by trained committees. National AEFI surveillance system has forged formal linkages with national pharmacovigilance program, the regulators, and professional bodies. Challenges: The number of the reported serious AEFIs are still far less than the expected numbers. Although the AEFI committees at the district and state levels have been established, a large proportion are far from functional. Way forward: As the national immunization program introduces newer vaccines for different age groups and coverage improves, the issues of vaccine hesitancy and confidence are likely to be raised more often and the AEFI surveillance program will have to assume greater responsibility to comprehensively respond to the community concerns and sustain public confidence in vaccines.

Changes in technical efficiency after quality management certification: A DEA approach using difference-in-difference estimation with genetic matching in the hospital industry

Hospitals in Germany have been required to have an internal quality management system (QMS) since 2000. Although formal certification of such systems is voluntary, the number of certifications has increased steadily. The most common standards in Germany are ISO 9001, which is also widely used internationally, and KTQ (Kooperation für Transparenz und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen), which was developed specifically for the German health care sector. While a large body of literature has investigated the impact of QMS certification on performance in many industries, there is only scarce evidence on the causal link between QMS certification and technical efficiency. In the present study, we seek to elucidate this relationship using administrative data from all German hospitals from 2000 through 2010 combined with information on certification. Our analysis has three steps: First, we calculated efficiency scores for each hospital using a bootstrapped data envelopment analysis. Second, we used genetic matching to ensure that any differences observed could be attributed to certification and were not due to differences in sample characteristics between the intervention and control groups. Third, we employed a difference-in-difference specification within a truncated regression to examine whether certification had an impact on hospital efficiency. To shed light on a potential time lag between certification and efficiency gains, we used various periods for comparison. Our results indicate that hospital efficiency was negatively related to ISO 9001 certification and positively related to KTQ certification. Moreover, coefficients were always larger in the period between first certification and recertification.

An in-depth investigation on quality management practices in China

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to capture the up-to-date development of quality management (QM) programs in China’s manufacturing landscape. The study aims to gain understanding on the current state-of-the-art QM programs adopted by Chinese manufacturing companies. Furthermore, the study investigates the key drivers and organizational characteristics that may shape the decisions on QM program adoption.Design/methodology/approach– To gain a deep understanding of QM in China’s manufacturing landscape, in-depth interviews were conducted with production managers, quality managers, and/or executives of 12 manufacturing companies in four cities in China in May and June 2012. Each interview lasted about two hours and covered all aspects of QM in the business, including what quality programs are in place and why the business adopts and implements these programs. Grounded theory approach is used to conduct qualitative analysis on the interview transcripts using NVivo 9, a qualitative data analysis program.Findings– Two categories of QM programs adopted by Chinese companies emerged from the analysis, namely, QM systems and QM certifications. QM systems include Total Quality Management (TQM), Six Sigma, and Lean. QM certification includes ISO 9000 series standard certificates, ISO 14000 certificate, OHSAS heath certificates, government regulatory certificates, and industry certificates. The authors found while Six Sigma and Lean adoption is related to parent company requirement, TQM adoption is related to internal quality improvement and control, quality assurance, leadership ideology, culture, and employee commitment. QM certification adoption is significantly related to external drivers. Regarding the effect of organizational characteristics, the study reveals that while corporate governance and ownership influence parent company requirements as an adoption driver, industry, product, and market segmentation influence industry requirements and government regulations as adoption drivers.Research limitations/implications– The findings and proposed conceptual framework are based on qualitative data collected from 12 companies in four cities in China, which may be limited to represent and reveal every aspect of QM programs adopted in Chinese manufacturing industries. The findings provide theoretical propositions that can be verified using a large sample set in future studies. In addition, although the study identified a variety of QM programs adopted, how these programs are implemented warrants further investigation.Practical implications– This study gives a status update and in-depth investigation on the development of QM programs adopted in Chinese manufacturing companies. How internal drivers, external drivers, and organizational characteristics shape companies’ decision on program adoption were explored. The study results provide implications not only for companies that are involved in supply chains with operations in China, but also for Chinese domestic companies competing in global markets to have QM systems in place to ensure quality performance.Originality/value– This study used multiple case study approach and grounded theory approach to conduct in-depth investigation on the current state of QM landscape in China’s manufacturing companies. It contributes to the body of knowledge on QM programs in China by uncovering the linkages between program adoption, key drivers, and organizational characteristics in an integrated framework.

Drivers, barriers and incentives to implementing environmental management systems in the food industry: A case of Lebanon

The shift in policy towards prevention and towards making producers responsible for the pollution they cause has lead corporations to limit environmental liabilities through the improvement of environmental performance. The implementation of an Environmental Management System integrates the precautionary and polluter pays principles into a firm's operations and demonstrates commitment to sustainable development. This research aims at assessing the factors influencing the implementation of ISO 14001 Environmental Management System in developing countries taking the Food Industry in Lebanon as a case example. For this purpose, primary data were collected using a field survey questionnaire that was administered to a representative sample of facilities. The results revealed that the food industry is generally more concerned with safety and quality issues rather than environmental issues. Following international food sector trend, improving environmental performance and enhancing company image are the most salient drivers to adopt ISO 14001. The lack of government support and stakeholder demand as well as the fact that ISO 14001 is not a legal requirement constitute the most salient factors hindering the adoption of the standard. Economical and organizational factors are the most significant incentives required to motivate the food industry to adopt ISO 14001. The industry is less likely to voluntarily consider adopting ISO 14001 before acquiring a quality management certification or until ISO 14001 certification gain more recognition in the international food sector. The study defines the foundations for developing strategies, policy reforms and incentive schemes to reduce the barriers of implementing ISO 14001.

Long-run performance following quality management certification

Public firms that seek and successfully receive certification of quality management, type ISO 9000, seem to experience different post-announcement share-price drifts depending on their size. This result is not consistent with the notion that companies seeking to implement a quality management system may be reducing agency problems between managers and shareholders, which are among corporate governance and control goals of any well management company. Otherwise, we should have observed material and positive abnormal share-price changes, following ISO 9000 registration announcements, independently of company size. Our results show that only stocks of large-size firms, experience positive average significantly abnormal returns over the post-announcement 1-, 2-, and 3-year horizons. On the other hand, stocks of small-size firms experience negative average significantly abnormal returns, and stocks of mid-size firms do not show any material gain over the same horizons. Although there is a rich finance literature that has studied the long-run abnormal stock-price returns following several major corporate events, this study seems to be the only one that have examined the potential long-run impact of this certification-event, despite the fact that those standards have been around since the middle 1980s.

Coping with ISO certification

Achieving the quality management certification ISO 9000 is increasingly becoming a requirement for companies in all manufacturing industries, including the pump industry. Although the process can seem daunting, Steve Williams, technical helpdesk manager for Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance in Coventry, UK, explains that it need not be.