Quality Management Tools Research Articles

Efficiency analysis trees as a tool to analyze the quality of university education

<span lang="EN-US">This research aims to design a quality management tool in education. The methodology comprises two stages: first, the construction of the decision tree model, and second, the efficiency evaluation. For the validation and development of this research, the data modelled corresponds to the standardized exams for higher education in Colombia of ninety industrial engineering degrees. Among the results, the citizenship skills (CC_PRO) generate the most significant contribution to the model. On the other hand, the written communication competence (CE_PRO) generates a minor contribution to the model. In addition, the most relevant result of the research is the design and validation of a tool to estimate educational efficiency using the efficiency analysis tree (EAT) and data enveloping analysis (DEA) models. The proposed tool allows the generation of specific targets to increase the level of efficiency of universities through the nodes of the decision tree, which contributes to the spectrum of knowledge on models for educational management. In conclusion, this research presents a tool for the management of educational processes through the analysis of efficiency using EAT, estimating the efficiency of universities and setting the foundations for forecasting future efficiency scenarios.</span>

Evaluation of analytical performance & quality specification of urine biochemical analytes

Urinary biochemical analytes are very important tools for clinical decision making. Total allowable error (TEa) by integrating internal (IQC) and external (EQC) quality control performances are used to evaluate the performance of urinary biochemical analytes along with quality specifications strategy. : Alternate 6 months Coefficient of Variation (CV%) and External Quality Assurance Scheme (EQAS) bias% data for urinary biochemistry analytes were collected for the year 2022. TEa calculated for each analyte was calculated based on average CV% and bias%. Total TEa calculated values are compared with optimal, minimal and desirable TEa of each analyte. : TEa values of urinary biochemistry analytes were performing good and fulfilled minimal, desirable and optimal quality requirements except urine creatinine which did not fulfill the minimal standards.: TEa is an excellent quality management tool and quantitatively evaluates analytical performance. The accurate results generated are useful for clinicians for decision-making.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF SERVICES OF HOTEL AND RESTAURANT ENTERPRISES

Introduction. Understanding and applying effective quality management methods is a key factor for customer satisfaction, ensuring their repeated involvement, and also improves the company's reputation, contributes to its competitiveness in the market and ensures the stable development of the hotel and restaurant industry to justify and improve the quality management processes of these enterprises in order to achieving a high level of service quality and satisfying customer needs. Methods. During the research process, various general scientific and specialized methods were employed, including induction and deduction – during the collection, systematization, and processing of necessary information; analysis and comparison – in reflecting the development of the hotel and restaurant industry worldwide and in Ukraine; abstract-logical – for formulating theoretical conclusions; monographic and comparative – for systematizing the scientific approaches of scholars to the theoretical aspects of the hotel and restaurant business development. Results. Theoretical foundations of service quality management in the hotel and restaurant industry were examined through the prism of its economic aspects. The significance of methods, strategies, and tools for quality management, as well as factors influencing service quality, was analyzed and investigated. These factors include customer communication, preparing service staff to utilize productive technologies and effective innovations to create a mechanism for managing interaction processes. It was demonstrated that the hotel and restaurant business serves as a source of economic growth, as hotels and restaurants not only provide accommodation and dining services but also contribute to the robust development of related industries such as transportation, tourism agencies, food delivery, tour organizing, and entertainment services. Discussion. Properly determined pricing policies allow attracting new customers and maximizing profits and proposed recommendations can be utilized for the effective development of the hotel and restaurant business and the implementation of a quality management mechanism through the application of various tools and their impact on enhancing the quality of services provided. In the future, it is advisable to digitize the management of the quality of services of enterprises in the hotel and restaurant sphere.. Keywords: management, quality, services, hotel and restaurant industry, needs, competitive advantages, innovations.

Total Quality Management in Higher Technical Education

The paper determines the behavior of Indian Technical Educational through the Total quality management tools and techniques, in this we tend to find the research gaps by reviewing some already existing research papers, and giving the solution through the analytical process of data analysis, we will majorly focus on the higher educational institutions. we will review the methodology that is currently being used by universities and how can they come at par as compared to the foreign universities. The reviewed papers will be used to find the shortcomings of the research and will be taken into consideration of analyzing it. Then we will be doing the quantitative data analysis of some collected data from google form and internet sources regarding the six TQM factors that influence the enrolment and hence the quality of institutions and determining the hypothesis result, then we will discuss the results and shortcomings of the analysis and will bridge those shortcomings by providing various possible solutions in that regards. In the whole process we have used data gathering, analyzing it and hence giving the solution. We have basically used IBM SPSS AND AMOS software to construct TQM models and their covariance relations. Now the future aspect of this paper is confirmed that the same procedure can be adopted to any industry for analyzing the quality of that organization.

Improvement of the quality management system of industrial enterprises based on the use of corporate knowledge

This article analyzes the procedures for improving quality management using the example of solving problems of compliance with product quality requirements at industrial enterprises. The quality of the products largely depends on the use of modern methods and tools of quality management, as well as on improving the competence of personnel in the field of quality systems. In this regard, it is proposed to apply the corporate knowledge of the enterprise, including models and algorithms of artificial intelligence. Corporate knowledge is formed on the basis of the formation and processing of documentation, interviewing qualified specialists and intellectual data analysis on the implementation of business processes. During the research, an ontology of quality management was developed, decision-making rules were created and the results of improving the quality management system using a neuro-fuzzy network were predicted. The use of these artificial intelligence tools will make it possible to form a unified terminology to ensure an unambiguous perception of information by all participants in the process and the use of a knowledge base to support decision-making. It is proposed to use quality management tools to improve the efficiency of decisions made by intelligent tools, i.e. production rules and neural networks.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARD «COMBAT MEDIC» AS A FACTOR OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE MEDICAL SUPPLY SYSTEM OF THE UKRAINIAN DEFENSE FORCES

The article examines the complex problem of regulation the professional qualification of a combat medic / senior combat medic based on a standardized set of acquired competencies and their implementation into the professional standard «Combat medic» as a quality management factor in the system of medical support of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. It is determined the need to differentiate the system of recognition of the professional qualifications of a combat medic and a senior combat medic with corresponding changes to the professional standard of a combat medic by introducing professional qualification categories: a combat medic of the II category, without medical education with special standardized training in educational centers, which corresponds to 4th level of the national qualification framework; a combat medic of category I (senior combat medic), who must have an appropriate educational qualification corresponding to the 5th level of the national qualification framework, as well as a combat medic of the highest professional qualification category, corresponding to the 6th level of the national qualification framework. It is substantiated that the compliance of the professional standard «Combat medic» with the norms of the current legislation requires the separation of professional qualification categories in the corresponding professional standard, as well as further differentiation of the meaningful content of the functionality of staff positions of senior combat medic and combat medic, taking into account the corresponding work and professional competencies. The authors also substantiate the necessity of differentiation in the professional standard the labor functions and professional competences of combat medics without medical education and senior combat medics with a professional medical education based on the introduction of relevant professional qualification categories. It has been proven that the proposed differentiation of the professional qualification categories of the «Combat medic» profession is due to a significant difference in the competencies of servicemen who hold full-time positions of senior combat medics and have a bachelor's degree in higher education compared to servicemen who hold similar positions of senior combat medics in the presence of higher education qualification «Junior Bachelor» degree, or vocational pre-university education qualification «Professional Junior Bachelor», in particular with regard to the «responsibility and autonomy» descriptor of the national qualification framework. It is emphasized that the implementation of the mentioned proposals regarding the improvement of the professional standard «Combat medic» can be an effective tool and factor of quality management in the system of medical support of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Assessment of qualifications of doctors as a tool for quality management of medical aid in Ukraine

The article analyzes the mechanism of certification of doctors. A comparative characterization of the legislative framework, which regulates the certification of doctors, was carried out. It was found that the certification, which in its essence should be an assessment of the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of the doctor, in practice is only the submission of documents confirming the obtained points of continuous professional development. A comprehensive approach is proposed in the form of increasing the requirements for doctors who are certified, taking into account during the certification of complaints received by doctors during their professional activities, and creating a mechanism for lowering and withdrawing qualification categories and the certificate of a specialist doctor. Conclusions. The data analyzed in the article indicate that the assigned qualification does not always correspond to the level of training of doctors, which gives an understanding of the need for changes in the system of attestation of doctors, which will ensure the establishment of correspondence between the level of the qualification category and the actual level of the doctor’s qualification. Therefore, a comprehensive approach is necessary in the form of increasing the requirements for certified doctors, taking into account during the certification of complaints received by doctors during their professional activities, creating a mechanism for lowering and withdrawing qualification categories or a certificate of a specialist doctor, which will have a positive effect on improving the quality of certification of doctors and, as a result, to improve the quality of medical care in general.

Deriving analytical expressions of the spatial information entropy index on riverine water quality dynamics

Information entropy theory has been largely applied in hydrology and water resource engineering. Recently, entropy theory has received significant attention for describing reactive solute mixing and transport processes in ground water and surface water and for its applications in water quality management. However, analytical expressions of the entropy index of riverine water quality dynamics are often not included in the literature. In this study, the analytical expressions of the spatial information entropy index (Gx) in the 1D steady-state transport process under full-extent observation and tracking observations are derived after the definition of the system boundary and probability space. The expressions of Gx were successfully validated by field data from two tracer experiments, and the different characteristics of Gx under different riverine hydraulic situations were uncovered. The formula of Gx shows a reasonable linkage with the Peclet number (Pe) in hydrodynamics. This indicates that Gx is a physical quantity describing or linking to the real world more than a statistical index, and in practice, similar decision or management measurements based on entropy theory can be made for rivers with similar Pe conditions. Hydrologists will benefit in many ways from analytical expressions, such as theoretical analysis, quick calculation of the entropy index, preliminary engineering design, etc. A clearly defined example of maximum entropy time (tGmax) and its application in water quality evaluation, monitoring optimization and pollution source identification are demonstrated. These new findings will provide a convenient tool for catchment water quality management.

Analisis Critical Path Model yang Digunakan Dalam Manajemen Proyek dan Kontribusinya Terhadap Manajemen Mutu ISO 9001 Di Perusahaan Konstruksi Di INDONESIA

ABSTRACT
 
 Critical Path Model (CPM) has been widely used in construction project management as an effective and efficient tool for planning and managing project schedules. This study aims to analyze the contribution of CPM to quality management geothermal project at Lumut Balai, especially in the context of ISO 9001. By reviewing existing literature and case studies, this study explores how CPM can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of ISO 9001 quality management. From the analysis obtained 12 critical paths on the disciplines of Mist Eliminator, Piping, Mechanical, and Painting & Insulation. The results of this study show that the use of CPM can reduce the duration to 604 days compared to the initial schedule of 825 days. CPM can play a significant role in improving quality management in construction companies by providing clear and accurate project schedules, reducing delays, and improving overall project performance. In addition, integration of CPM with quality management tools can enhance overall quality management system and increase chance of project success. The conclusion of this study is CPM has great potential to assist construction companies in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of ISO 9001 quality management. Construction companies in Indonesia should adopt CPM as a project management tool to ensure project success and meet ISO 9001 quality standards. This study provides insights positive about the future of CPM in construction project management and open opportunities for further research in this field.
 
 Keywords: CPM, critical path, quali

Lean Six-Sigma Approach for Sub-Contract Licensing and its Process Improvement across the Manufacturing Supply Chain using GUT Priority Matrix

This study aims to examine how Lean Six Sigma as a quality management tool could enhance productivity in a manufacturing organization, ZITRON. In addition, this study also aims to show how DMAIC (defined, measured, analyzed, improved and controlled) is operationalized for overall process improvement in ZITRON manufacturing. Lean management takes care of waste across all processes and focuses on speed and time within a firm while Six Sigma is a strategy that focuses on eliminating defects, reducing costs and also reduces process variability. As such, this study utilizes the Lean Six-Sigma approach as a tool to ensure more efficiency is achieved in terms of source, make, delivery and process efficiency. Methodologically, there are five phases in the Lean Six Sigma strategies which are defined, measured, analyze, improve and controlled (DMAIC). The findings show that Lean Six Sigma can help to eliminate waste, and cost-reduction, and help eliminate variations in processes within the manufacturing. However, SIX SIGMA tools have been used to solve the problem which is a delay in processes in manufacturing. Based on this research paper, focuses on the manufacturing problem which is a delay in processes. By using Six Sigma, the problem that existed in manufacturing has been solved through process improvement. This work is originally following a self-method in which the data is collected by using observation techniques to identify the existing problem and solution-seeking within the manufacturing.

Developing quality indicators for cross-sectoral psycho-oncology in Germany: combining the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method with a Delphi technique

BackgroundInternationally, the need for appropriately structured, high-quality care in psycho-oncology is more and more recognized and quality-oriented care is to be established. Quality indicators are becoming increasingly important for a systematic development and improvement of the quality of care. The aim of this study was to develop a set of quality indicators for a new form of care, a cross-sectoral psycho-oncological care program in the German health care system.MethodsThe widely established RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method was combined with a modified Delphi technique. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify existing indicators. All identified indicators were evaluated and rated in a two-round Delphi process. Expert panels embedded in the Delphi process assessed the indicators in terms of relevance, data availability and feasibility. An indicator was accepted by consensus if at least 75% of the ratings corresponded to category 4 or 5 on a five-point Likert scale.ResultsOf the 88 potential indicators derived from a systematic literature review and other sources, 29 were deemed relevant in the first Delphi round. After the first expert panel, 28 of the dissented indicators were re-rated and added. Of these 57 indicators, 45 were found to be feasible in terms of data availability by the second round of expert panel. In total, 22 indicators were transferred into a quality report, implemented and tested within the care networks for participatory quality improvement. In the second Delphi round, the embedded indicators were tested for their practicability. The final set includes 16 indicators that were operationalized in care practice and rated by the expert panel as relevant, comprehensible, and suitable for care practice.ConclusionThe developed set of quality indicators has proven in practical testing to be a valid quality assurance tool for internal and external quality management. The study findings could contribute to traceable high quality in cross-sectoral psycho-oncology by providing a valid and comprehensive set of quality indicators.Trial registration“Entwicklung eines Qualitätsmanagementsystems in der integrierten, sektorenübergreifenden Psychoonkologie—AP “Qualitätsmanagement und Versorgungsmanagement” zur Studie "integrierte, sektorenübergreifende Psychoonkologie (isPO)" a sub-project of the “integrierte, sektorenübergreifende Psychoonkologie (isPO)”, was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) (DRKS-ID: DRKS00021515) on 3rd September 2020. The main project was registered on 30th October 2018 (DRKS-ID: DRKS00015326).

The role of human property administration in quality management in the public sector

Human Resource Management is defined as "The design, implementation and maintenance of strategies to manage people for optimum organization performance where they work". It constitutes a set of strategies to be implemented in the public sector so that its operations could give high quality services and satisfaction to the citizens.
 This paper deals with the role and importance of human resource management in creating an efficient and functionally sound Greek public sector. An attempt is made to analyze the importance of Human Resource Management in the operation and development of public bodies through its connection to the Common Evaluation Framework which is essentially a "new" tool for Total Quality Management and which has been the subject of research by many scholars.
 It is apparent the lack of adoption of quality management principles and the lack of a culture of change which leads to reduced efficiency of public services and its human resources. This combined by the lack of implementation of modern Total Quality Management practices with due emphasis on skills, employee training, performance appraisal, communication and labor relations.
 The present research has shown that it is imperative to upgrade the human resource management strategies implemented in the public sector of our country through the broader and more effective implementation of the principles of human resource management in order to both enhance employee performance and effective functioning of the public sector.
 Keywords: human resources management, total quality management, management practices, public sector.

Optimal location and performance prediction of portable air cleaner in composite room shapes using convolutional neural network

Portable air cleaners are commonly used to eliminate hazardous indoor air pollutants such as particulate matters and infectious viruses. The effectiveness of portable air cleaners heavily relies on their installation location, which affects the patterns of airflow carrying the pollutants. Herein, we propose a methodology for optimizing the portable air cleaner placement to maximize its effectiveness using artificial intelligence technology. To build an artificial intelligence model, we obtained the data on airflow patterns for different room shapes and locations of the portable air cleaner through numerical simulations. We utilized floor-plan image data to simplify the handling of complex geometric information related to portable air cleaner placements. The artificial intelligence model extracted geometric features from the floor plan and predicted the effectiveness of the portable air cleaner. The predicted results revealed that the model recommended the location with the highest effectiveness as optimal. The artificial intelligence model achieved a high prediction accuracy of 91.2% and precisely determined the optimal location in rooms with varying shapes. This approach can elucidate the complex relationship between geometric placements and airflow characteristics. Furthermore, the artificial intelligence model can be used as a powerful decision-making tool for indoor air quality management in the building environment.

Determinants of the implementation of the quality management systems in SMEs

The implementation of the quality management systems using quality improvement methods, tools and approaches is considered one of the significant aspects to increase the per- formance of enterprises in the market environment and growing competition. Most of the authors studied the impact of any of the available quality management tools or philosophies on the performance of enterprises only on a case-by-case basis. The aim of the paper is, however, to examine the effect of implementing a larger scope of tools, approaches or concepts of quality management on the performance of the enterprise more comprehensively from the perspective of their implementation and the assumption of achieving higher enterprise performance. The paper presents the results of the survey, which was carried out from 2020 to 2021. The survey was focused on the implementation of quality management approaches and techniques in small and mediumsized manufacturing enterprises in Slovakia. A total of 313 small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises were addressed through questionnaires. The representativeness of the sample was tested using the chi-squared goodness-of-fit test. Pearson’s chi-squared test and analysis of contingency were implemented to test the established research hypotheses. Through the results of the analyses, it can be claimed that there are significant relationships between the use of quality management approaches and techniques and the performance of enterprises measured through return of costs. At the same time, the most common reasons for implementing quality management approaches were analysed, which confirmed the hypothesis about the reasons for improving product quality and increasing customer satisfaction, which were based on theoretical assumptions verified in practice. The results also show the significant differences between the researched industries, which gives an opportunity for increasing the level of quality in individual segments.

Textbook outcome in colon carcinoma: implications for overall survival and disease-free survival.

Textbook outcome (TO) is a multidimensional quality management tool that uses a set of traditional surgical measures to reflect an "ideal" surgical result for a particular pathology. The aim of the present study is to record the rate of TO in patients undergoing elective surgery for colon cancer (CC). Retrospective study of all patients undergoing scheduled CC surgery at a Spanish university hospital from September 2012 to August 2016. Patients with rectal cancer were excluded. The variables included in the definition of TO were: R0 resection, number of isolated nodes ≥ 12, no Clavien-Dindo ≥ IIIa complications, no prolonged stay, no readmissions, and no mortality in the first 30days. The main objective of this study is to analyse the achievement of TO in these patients and to assess the relationship between TO and overall and disease-free survival. Five hundred and sixty-four patients were included in the study. TO was achieved in 49.8%. The sample had a mean age of 69 ± 11years, and 60% were male. Female sex (OR 1.61; 95% CI 2.30-1.13), T3 and T4 classification (OR 2.50, 95% CI 4.59-1.36, and OR 2.55, 95% CI 5.21-1.24 respectively) and laparoscopic approach (OR 1.53, 95% CI 2.33-1.00) were independent factors that were significantly associated with achieving a TO. Patients who achieved TO had higher overall survival (p = 0.008) than those who did not. However, with regard to disease-free survival, no statistically significant differences were found (p = 0.303). TO is a useful, easy-to-interpret management tool for measuring oncological results and for predicting patient survival.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of GMAW cladded AA 6063 using friction stir processing as a post-processing technique

ABSTRACT Aluminum alloy being a significant material for many industries, and due to its favourable properties like low density and the high strength-to-weight ratio, is used for cladding. But because of low wear resistance, non-uniform grain structure, and other certain insufficiencies, Friction stir processing (FSP) was applied over the cladded part to overcome these deficits and drawbacks and improve the mechanical characteristics of the produced component further. In this work, mechanical and microstructural characteristics were investigated and analysed by varying rotational speed and number of passes at the time FSP. After FSP finer grains were found, and other solidification defects were eliminated from the final components. Processed part shows the increment in tensile strength, the hardness of the component increases while erosive wear decreases with the number of passes. Maximum hardness and minimum erosion wear rate for all three passes were attained at 598 RPM. Tensile strength and percentage elongation have been found to be highest at three passes at 938 RPM. Microstructure also reflects the finer grains at the highest RPM at the third pass. Also, modern quality management tools and process improvement technique like ANOVA was utilised to formulate the mathematical model and to study the relationship between the input and output of the process.

Analyzing the characteristics of design defect leading indicators on building construction projects

The construction industry is experiencing increased complexity and rapid technology development, with a large number of multi-organizations involved; such features impede effective design management and satisfactory design quality on building construction projects. The consequences of poor design are severe, including project cost overrun, schedule delay, and field rework, and these directly impact overall construction project performance. Therefore, it is imperative to pay attention to design quality management in construction projects. To provide actionable knowledge for better design quality management, this study aims to identify and analyze key design tasks during the design phase to prevent severe defects. This study utilizes the defect-leading indicator questions incorporated in the design quality management tool developed in a previous study. By qualitatively analyzing these leading indicator questions, four main design task categories to achieve design quality were identified along with their distinctive characteristics. Moreover, by conducting a statistical analysis, these four categories were compared in various ways. From the results, this study revealed that the design tasks in four categories should be addressed during similar timing (i.e. end of design development to midway through construction documents). However, the severity of their impacts from design defects associated with each category is different. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the design management domain by demonstrating fundamental design tasks for defect prevention. In addition, the results of this study allow industry practitioners to make appropriate design decisions and to ensure necessary design activities by considering their associated defects impacts and timing of applications.

Application of genetic programming in presenting novel equations for longitudinal dispersion coefficient in natural streams considering rivers geometry - Implementation in assimilation capacity simulation

Precise estimation of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient (LDC) is crucial for the accurate simulation of water quality management tools such as assimilation capacity. Previous research analyzed the LDC of natural streams in two general categories: ignoring or considering the river sinuosity (σ). Genetic programming (GP) is used in this study to investigate both mentioned categories by applying two experimental datasets from 56 to 24 different rivers worldwide. The first proposed LDC equation of this research (without σ) improves the amounts of statistical measures R2 (Determination Coefficient), OI (Overall Index), NSE (Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency), WI (Willmott's Index of Agreement), RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), and MAE (Mean Absolute Error) by 3.75%, 4.71%, 7.81%, 0.85%, 13.72%, and 0.68%, respectively, compared to the best values of these indicators in the previous investigations. Regarding the second category, relative and absolute sensitivity analyses are conducted, which reveal that σ is the most influential parameter in the accurate prediction of the LDC among all hydraulics and geometric parameters of the river. This part of the investigation presents four unique LDC equations that closely match the experimental results. Significant improvement of the most accurate presented LDC for statistical indices R2, OI, NSE, WI, RMSE, MAE, and accuracy percentage are obtained equal to 3.27%, 2.41%, 3.16%, 0.81%, 35.1%, 24.47%, 3.8%, respectively, in comparison with the best previous relations. Also, a new indicator for measuring the efficiency of mathematical equations called Mean Normalized Statistical Index (MNSI) is introduced and applied in different parts of this research. Finally, the assimilation capacity of the Kashafrud River is determined based on the analytical method of pollution propagation for three types of water demands utilizing the accurately presented LDC in 1993–2020. The average amount of river assimilation capacity using accurate LDC is simulated at 91.93 tons/day, much lower than the currently reported pollution entrance, which equals 540 tons/day.

Assessment of the water sources for potential channels of faecal contamination within Vhembe District Municipality using sanitary inspections and hydrogen sulphide test

Numerous human activities and poor sanitation management cause public health concern, particularly in rural communities without reliable water supply systems and resources for the monitoring of the quality of their water sources. This study assessed the relationship between observed sanitary risks and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) strip test results in the identification of faecal contamination of various water sources used at household level in rural areas of the Vhembe District Municipality. The highest percentage sanitary risk scores ranging from 50 to 100% were recorded for both river and dam water commonly used by the households for multiple purposes, including drinking. All the surface water samples (100%) also tested positive for H2S production, which is linked to the contamination of water sources by bacteria of faecal origin. The overall results showed a significant and positive correlation (r = 0.623, p = 0.003 in the wet season and r = 0.504, p = 0.017 in the dry season) between sanitary risk scores and H2S strip test results. In low resource settings, the use of sanitary inspections combined with the inexpensive and easy-to-use H2S strip tests can be effective as drinking water quality management tools to raise an awareness among community members of the faecal contamination of their water sources.

Content analysis of hotel reviews as a quality management tool: Preliminary verification of the SERVQUAL scale

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main factors for the quality of hotel services and to verify the SERVQUAL measurement scale commonly used in the services sector. In order to achieve this goal, an innovative approach of quantitative and qualitative content analysis of reviews published by users of the reservation portals Hotels.com and Booking.com was used. The study was based on more than 167,000 opinions on 3,4,5-star hotels located in Warsaw. They were ‘scraped’ with an indexing robot. The research outlines a list of the most important topics raised in those comments which correspond to the factors of perceived service quality of hotels. Among these are location, room attributes, cleanliness, breakfast and staff. In addition, the most important criteria used by customers to describe each of the listed elements are also reported. The results made it possible to identify differences between the operationalization of the constructs indicated in the SERVQUAL scale and the descriptions of each factor in the spontaneous comments of internet users. Thus, the need for adjustment to the current operationalizations of the SERVQUAL model to better reflect the sentiments of consumers in the hotel industry, or even developing a completely new tool for measuring service quality, was demonstrated.