The debate about the impact of ISO 9000/1994 on performance has been waging since its inception. While there is a general agreement regarding the positive impact of TQM on performance, there has been ...less agreement among the academics about the impact of ISO 9000/1994. Perhaps in response to such debate, the new ISO 9001/2000 has appeared purporting to be more in line with the TQM philosophy. As of now, how this 2000 version actually affects performance is yet to be explored. In this study, we compare the implementation of ISO 9000/1994 and ISO 9001/2000 as representing two different efforts to implement quality management practices. We evaluate its impact on company performance with a sample of 713 Spanish industrial companies. We also examine if the 2000 version of ISO is taking us closer to the implementation of TQM. Further, we depart from the past studies methodologically by considering performance as a formative construct rather than a reflective construct. Based on the mean and covariance structural (MACS) analyses, we conclude that ISO 9001/2000 certified companies do not perform noticeably better than ISO 9000/1994 or non-certified companies. However, we find that ISO 9001/2000 certified companies apply TQM at a higher level than ISO 9000/1994 certified companies, but whether they actually perform better is less clear.
Engineered nanomaterials are increasingly added to foods to improve quality, safety, or nutrition. Here we report the ability of ingested nanocellulose (NC) materials to reduce digestion and ...absorption of ingested fat. In the small intestinal phase of an acellular simulated gastrointestinal tract, the hydrolysis of free fatty acids (FFA) from triglycerides (TG) in a high-fat food model was reduced by 48.4% when NC was added at 0.75% w/w to the food, as quantified by pH stat titration, and by 40.1% as assessed by fluorometric FFA assay. Furthermore, translocation of TG and FFA across an in vitro cellular model of the intestinal epithelium was significantly reduced by the presence of 0.75% w/w NC in the food (TG by 52% and FFA by 32%). Finally, in in vivo experiments, the postprandial rise in serum TG 1 h after gavage with the high fat food model was reduced by 36% when 1.0% w/w NC was administered with the food. Scanning electron microscopy and molecular dynamics studies suggest two primary mechanisms for this effect: (1) coalescence of fat droplets on fibrillar NC (CNF) fibers, resulting in a reduction of available surface area for lipase binding and (2) sequestration of bile salts, causing impaired interfacial displacement of proteins at the lipid droplet surface and impaired solubilization of lipid digestion products. Together these findings suggest a potential use for NC, as a food additive or supplement, to reduce absorption of ingested fat and thereby assist in weight loss and the management of obesity.
After more than two decades since quality became part of managers’ everyday lexicon, total quality management (TQM) and ISO 9000 have taken the centre stage. However, there has been much debate about ...how they might be related to each other. This research is a new contribution to the knowledge on the relationships between TQM and ISO 9000, and it addresses their implications on performance and motivations for implementation. While past studies have considered them separately, we study them together in one study. As might be expected, both TQM and ISO 9000 lead to improvement in performance. However, it appears that internal motivation to implement ISO 9000 is associated with high performance, whereas external motivation is not. Further, companies with high internal motivation for ISO 9000 naturally show a high level of TQM practices. We use institutional theory and resource-based views to consider the internal versus external motivations for implementing ISO 9000. The data for this research have been obtained from a large sample of Spanish industrial companies. Longitudinal objective data have also been used.
EFQM Excellence Model and TQM: an empirical comparison Gómez, Joaquín Gómez; Martínez Costa, Micaela; Martínez Lorente, Ángel R.
Total quality management & business excellence,
01/2017, Letnik:
28, Številka:
1-2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The EFQM Excellence Model (EEM) has been used by managers and academics as a proxy for the implementation of total quality management (TQM). However, at the present time there is no empirical ...evidence that shows that the systems are equivalent. This paper empirically analyses whether companies that implement the EEM as a management tool are indirectly using TQM. The results make it possible to conclude that EEM and TQM, although not the same, follow a similar path and it can be expected that a company with high scores at EEM will have high odds of being a TQM company. In addition, both systems provide a means for improving performance according to the results measured by the EEM.
PurposeThis study has the main aim of analyzing the influence of six factors on ISO 9001 implementation: Economic Development, Exporting to Europe, Reputation, Competitiveness, Innovation and ...Business Sophistication. As a complement, a new factor relating to quality by country has been added: the World Quality Scoreboard.Design/methodology/approachHypotheses are proposed that establish a (positive or negative) linear relationship between the diffusion of ISO 9001 and the indicators of the different factors analyzed in each country. The SPSS program was used to evaluate the hypotheses using data from 2009 to 2018.FindingsThe results indicate strong positive relationship for the country's economic development only when countries with low levels of income are considered. For the rest of the variables, the results indicate that their behavior varies according to the degree of development of the countries. When only developed countries are considered, significant and negative correlations are obtained for reputation, competitiveness, innovation and business sophistication, while considering the group of less developed countries, the results are reversed. The new World Quality Scoreboard has the same behavior whereas regarding exports; we did not obtain conclusive results.Originality/valueThis study adds important information on the studying of ISO 9000 phenomenon diffusion/evolution by analyzing the effect of six variables on the degree of implementation of the ISO 9001 standard in different countries. This information is interesting for companies and certification bodies across the world because it allows a better understanding of the reasons and conditions of implementing a quality management system.
This paper elucidates the impact of biomass burning aerosols (BB) on surface winds for the Russian fires episode during 25 July to 15 August 2010. The methodology consists of three Weather Research ...and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF‐Chem) simulations over Europe differing in the inclusion (or not) of aerosol‐radiation and aerosol‐cloud interactions. The presence of BB reduces the 10 m wind speed over Russia during this fire event by 0.2 m s−1 (10%). Aerosol interactions imply a decrease of the shortwave downwelling radiation at the surface leading to a reduction of the 2 m temperature. This decrease reduces the turbulence flux, developing a more stable planetary boundary layer. Moreover, cooling favors an increase of the surface pressure over Russian area and also it extends nearby northern Europe.
Key Points
Biomass burning aerosols (BB) reduces the local 10 m wind speed over Russia
Causes should be sought on reduced surface shortwave radiation and 2 m temperature, and increase atmospheric stability
BB may also affect SLP, producing changes in mesoscale circulations and an increase of surface winds over distant regions
To compare the effect of a single bout of morning vs. evening exercise on cardiovascular risk factors in adults.
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
A systematic search of studies was conducted ...using PubMed and Web of Science from inception to June 2022. Selected studies accomplished the following criteria: crossover design, acute effect of exercise, blood pressure, blood glucose, and/or blood lipids as the study's endpoint, a washout period of at least 24 h, and adults. Meta-analysis was performed by analyzing: 1) separated effect of morning and evening exercise (pre vs. post); and 2) comparison between morning and evening exercise.
A total of 11 studies were included for systolic and diastolic blood pressure and 10 studies for blood glucose. Meta-analysis revealed no significant difference between morning vs. evening exercise for systolic blood pressure (g ∆ = 0.02), diastolic blood pressure (g ∆ = 0.01), or blood glucose (g ∆ = 0.15). Analysis of moderator variables (age, BMI, sex, health status, intensity and duration of exercise, and hour within the morning or evening) showed no significant morning vs. evening effect.
Overall, we found no influence of the time of the day on the acute effect of exercise on blood pressure neither on blood glucose.
Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy is used to experimentally demonstrate the direct relationship between vacancies and the shift of the martensitic transformation temperature in a ...Ni_{55}Fe_{17}Ga_{28} alloy. The evolution of vacancies assisting the ordering enables shifts of the martensitic transformation up to 50 K. Our results confirm the role that both vacancy concentration and different vacancy dynamics play in samples quenched from the L2_{1} and B2 phases, which dictate the martensitic transformation temperature and its subsequent evolution. Finally, by electron-positron density functional calculations V_{Ni} is identified as the most probable vacancy present in Ni_{55}Fe_{17}Ga_{28}. This work evidences the capability of vacancies for the fine-tuning of the martensitic transformation temperature, paving the way for defect engineering of multifunctional properties.
Europe is investing considerably in renewable energies for a sustainable future, with both Iberian countries (Portugal and Spain) promoting significantly new hydropower, wind, and solar plants. The ...climate variability in this area is highly controlled by just a few large-scale teleconnection modes. However, the relationship between these modes and the renewable climate-dependent energy resources has not yet been established in detail. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the interannual variability of the main and primary renewable energy resources in Iberia. This is achieved through a holistic assessment that is based on a 10-km-resolution climate simulation spanning the period 1959–2007 that provides physically consistent data of the various magnitudes involved. A monthly analysis for the extended winter (October–March) months shows that negative NAO phases enhance wind speeds (10%–15%) and, thereby, wind power (estimated around 30% at typical wind-turbine altitudes) and hydropower resources (with changes in precipitation exceeding 100% and implying prolonged responses in reservoir storage and release throughout the year), while diminishing the solar potential (10%–20%). Opposite signals were also sporadically identified, being well explained when taking into account the orography and the prevailing wind direction during both NAO phases. An additional analysis using real wind, hydropower, and solar power generation data further confirms the strong signature of the NAO.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
ABSTRACT
The use of hindcast climatic data is quite extended for multiple applications. However, this approach needs the support of a validation process to allow its drawbacks and, therefore, ...confidence levels to be assessed. In this work, the strategy relies on an hourly wind database resulting from a dynamical downscaling experiment, with a spatial resolution of 10 km, covering the Iberian Peninsula (IP), driven by the ERA40 reanalysis (1959–2001) extended by European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) analysis (2002–2007) and comprising two main steps.
Initially, the skill of the simulation is evaluated comparing the quality‐tested observational database (Lorente‐Plazas et al., 2014) at local and regional scales. The results show that the model is able to portray the main features of the wind over the IP: annual cycles, wind roses, spatial and temporal variability, as well as the response to different circulation types. In addition, there is a significant added value of the simulation with respect to driving conditions, especially in regions with a complex orography. However, some problems are evident, the major drawback being the systematic overestimation of the wind speed, which is mainly attributed to a missrepresentation of frictional forces. The model skill is also lower along the Mediterranean coast and for the Pyrenees.
In a second phase, the high spatio‐temporal resolution of the pseudo‐real wind database is used to explore the limitations of the observational database. It is shown that missing values do not affect the characterisation of the wind climate over the IP, while the length of the observational period (6 years) is sufficient for most regions, with only a few exceptions. The spatial distribution of the observational sampling schemes should be enhanced to improve the correct assessment of all IP wind regimes, particularly in some mountainous areas.
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