Quality for a sustainable future Vandenbrande, Willy W.
Total quality management & business excellence,
04/2021, Volume:
32, Issue:
5-6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
There is a growing number of organisations working on sustainable development and there is no lack of events organised or papers published on the subject. These activities are related to high level ...policies that appeal to political leaders. As far as businesses are concerned the target group mainly consists of large and globally active organisations. Very often small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are not involved, although they form the vast majority of companies. Quality management has the methods and the tools to bring sustainability to the SME level, facilitating action and leading to tangible results for the organisation. We present a general framework that allows any SME to take steps in sustainability by using quality management methods. An implementation path is given, related to the current maturity level of the company. This allows the sustainability movement to gain momentum and be spread out much more widely. But as many planetary problems are bringing us dangerously close to tipping points (global warming, mass extinction of species, ...) this may not be enough. A new definition of sustainability is presented that can be used as a starting point for developing quality based economic and social systems.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Energy companies face challenges arising from the ecological, social and legal environment. The reduction of negative impact on the environment and society while maintaining sustainable development ...affects the formation of new development strategies and push to introduce the state of art innovative technologies. The main aim of the research is to analyze the importance and role of the adaptation strategy to external requirements and to determine the mechanisms of the occurrence of passive and active adaptation. As a new approach to carrying out strategic analysis, two models were used simultaneously (inductive and hypothetical-deductive) which allows for realization qualitative (interviews, observations) and quantitative (statistical analysis) research methods generally called mixed methods. The study was conducted on the basis of mixed-method analysis of adaptations strategies of enterprises from the energy sector. The results of the conducted research show the influence of particular macroeconomic elements (e.g. technologies, ecologies) on making strategic decisions. The issue of adapting an enterprise to its environment is also related to its involvement in the research and development (R&D) sphere. Depending on the size of the company there are different amounts dedicated to R&D. Regulations and the technological environment force innovations of energy companies in the direction of reducing harmful impact on the environment and society. Legal and political factors (both national and EU) determine the activities of power companies (in each group: small, medium and large) and determine the choice of adaptation strategies. The intensity of adaptation to the requirements of the environment changes depends on the size of the company. Power companies apply passive adaptation strategies and as they increase their position on the market, they begin to implement an active adaptation strategy.
Surveys need a clear report on adopted quality methods to support surveillance, research and to implement evidence-based health policies. Aim of this report is to provide a simple and practical tool ...to those interested in survey, like HIS or HES , suggesting the different aspects of the quality to be controlled. These are crucial to generate useful and reliable results that can help the monitoring of health policy in Europe. Starting from the wide literature available in the field, the various quality dimensions that should be documented in a quality report and support the published results are briefly presented. In this paper, the six dimensions of the quality are analysed, as well as the different steps necessary to implement a survey, with particular attention to the quality and taking account of the remarkable expertise in the field. Before starting the survey, as known, the planning of specific steps is required. Moreover, to improve quality, training and testing of personnel involved in the different sets (organization, data collection, data processing, and statistical analysis) are fundamental. The methods used and the results obtained need to be published.
Abstract With the goal of developing a unified approach for implementation of training for quality methods—with the help of innovative assistance systems—the current state of research is determined ...within the scope of this work. These quality methods include Quality Management Systems such as Lean Management and Six Sigma. A systematic literature search is conducted to determine the current state of research on Augmented and Virtual Reality data glasses, which are considered here as innovative assistance systems. This search extends without restriction to the date of data collection at the beginning of the year 2022, as Augmented and Virtual Reality data glasses are considered to be particularly immersive technologies. Based on the databases Scopus and Web of Science, an extended systematic literature review was used for the research. By answering the research question and classifying the implemented research work, an overview of the current state of virtual and augmented reality research will be given. This makes it clear that further research is needed, especially with regard to the training of quality methods, to develop specific models and action guidelines.
There are a lot of different quality methods available to optimise shop floor processes. Besides the difficulty of choosing the right method, the estimation of the effectiveness of these methods ...remains uncertain. To date, a scientific analysis of a shop floor in series production via a business simulation and the selected optimisation methods does not exist. A model with a business simulation that helps assess the usage of the quality methods on the shop floor was developed. Therefore, the objective of this scientific study is to close the research gap with a systematic analysis of series production with a business simulation and the generated data using the design of experiments (DoE). This combination is new for research. The selection of the methods used in this business simulation is based on different studies. Methods used are 5S, Poka Yoke, Kanban and Standard Work Sheet. As KPIs, the rework, the lead time and adherence to delivery dates are measured. The developed simulation game on the shop floor with the results enables optimisation experts in companies to identify the optimal quality method or combination. This allows a first approach before a real test can take place.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The article presents the results of qualitative sociologic survey aimed at analyzing students’ subjective evaluations related to “new” educational practices from the perspective of the experience ...gained in the pandemic period, as well as the dynamics of changes in the content of these evaluations during the year due to the transition to new learning formats. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of forced online learning on the transformation of traditional educational practices. Following the results of work with qualitative data, the main trends observed in the informants’ answers are shown – increase of academic workload and, as a consequence, the time spent for its performance; absence of former attitude and concentration of attention on the learning material caused by the impossibility to draw boundaries between private and public, that in its turn had an impact on the quality of education and gave rise to new practices of academic dishonesty and cheating; and as a whole, downturn of psychological wellbeing. Main positive moments named by the informants were increase of the capabilities of the educational field and a certain level of comfort in the sphere of everyday life, logistics and work. It is noted that even with the outright victory over the COVID-19 it will be impossible to return completely to pre-covid variant of organization of educational process; whether we like it or not, electronic educational environments have already become an integral part of our life and higher education. The main questions that must be asked now – which of pre-covid and gained practices should be taken into the future, how to find the balance between intramural and online learning formats. Search for solutions depends to a large extent on the success of interaction and cooperation between the direct participants of educational process. Main method of data collection is semi-structured interviews; field works have been carried out in spring of 2020 and 2021. The interview method made it possible to study the situation in detail as it has developed. Based on the generalization of qualitative data, the substantial characteristics of the informants’ value judgments are formed, strong and weak sides of the learning process related to introduction of new formats of interaction “university – teacher – student”. The ambivalent attitude of students to full-time and distance learning was revealed. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the data acquisition, systematization and analytical generalization of the original material on the transformation of students’ educational practices as a result of a forced mass transition to distance education. The obtained materials provide grounds for clarifying the process and results of these changes and can be used to justify management decisions.
Leveraging the value of real-world evidence (RWE) to make informed regulatory decisions in the field of health care continues to gain momentum. Improving clinical evidence generation by evaluating ...the outcomes and patient experiences at the point-of-care would help achieve the ultimate aim of ensuring that effective and safe treatments are rapidly approved for patient use. In our previous publication, we assessed the global regulatory landscape with respect to RWE and provided a review of the regional availability of frameworks and guidance through May 2021 on the basis of 3 key regulatory elements: regulatory RWE frameworks, data quality guidance, and study methods guidance. In the current review, we have updated and elaborated upon recent developments in the regulatory RWE environment from a regional perspective under the same 3 regulatory elements stated above. In addition, we have also included a new category on procedural guidance. The review also discusses the perceived gaps and potential opportunities for future development and harmonization in this field to support framework establishment in regions without pre-existing RWE policies. Additionally, the article reviews current developments of health technology assessment (HTA) bodies pertaining to RWE and discusses the status of evidentiary alignment among regulators and HTA agencies.
The article presents the results of research analyzing the level of use of quality assurance instruments. The use of quality management instruments refers to the production of windows based on PVC ...profiles. Based on the results of surveys, which were additionally verified by an extended expert interview, an analysis was made of the level of use of quality assurance instruments at individual stages of the technological process. The main conclusion of the analyzes is that the most commonly used quality instruments are Pareto-Lorenz analysis, Ishikawa diagram, control cards and the FMEA method.
Purpose: The article presents an analysis of the application of selected quality management methods and tools in order to identify factors affecting downtimes in the production line, illustrated with ...an example of the automotive industry.Methodology/Approach: The paper contains an analysis of downtimes in the production process using selected methods and tools of quality management. The authors used a combination of tools and methods to carry out the analysis. In this concept, first, the 5WHY method and the Ishikawa diagram were used.Findings: The research results presented in the paper suggest that better results can be achieved by using a set of quality tools instead of one particular tool. The authors found that using a wide range of quality tools can be useful to reduce downtimes on the production line.Research limitation/implication: The major limitation of the paper is that it is based on one case of an organisation from the automotive industry. In the future, it will be necessary to conduct studies in more organisations so as to find out if the same result can be achieved.Originality/Value of paper: The article is concerned with the use of quality management methods and tools to analyse production line breakdowns. Until present, in subject literature, the causes of downtimes have been analysed without differentiating between planned and unplanned downitmes of the production line.
PDF
