The evolution and convergence of total quality management and management theories

Implementing the Learning from Excellence approach to support continuous quality improvement in breast cancer care: a mixed-method study across Italian regions

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to describe the application of the Learning from Excellence (LfE) approach in supporting a learning-oriented use of performance measures and continuous quality improvement in breast cancer (BC) care.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Using a mix-method research, the BC pathway is evaluated among 12 Italian regions/autonomous provinces sharing the same Performance Measurement System. The study was conducted in three stages: (1) identification of the best performing geographical areas through quantitative evidence; (2) analysis of the best practices with qualitative methods; (3) professional engagement and quality improvement, and involvement of stakeholders.

FINDINGS

In the quantitative phase, the performances of 50 geographical areas were analyzed, leading to the identification of two best performing areas. After the characterization of the organizational determinants featuring the best performers' practices, the professionals were involved through on-site workshops, implementing a learning-oriented use of performance measures, benchmarking and team reflexivity on performance results. The intervention implied the modelling and assessment of the best performers' pathways, complementing performance measures with experience-based information. The models of the two areas were compared and hypothesis of care improvement were discussed. Feedback, reflexivity, networking and culture reinforcement were enacted among all the network professionals. In the last stage, the results were publicly presented allowing all stakeholders to recognize and appreciate the collaborative effort produced for the care of BC women and, leveraging on the logic of benchmarking, the stakeholders where able to identify generable performance improvements.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

This study provides evidence about the potential benefits of implementing LfE as a total quality management practice for care pathways.

Managing TQM's soft side: an explorative study of social care multiservice organizations

Purpose

This paper explores total quality management (TQM) soft domain efficacy in social care organizations to determine the extent to which an organization's project success may stem from soft TQM critical success factors (CSFs).

Design/methodology/approach

Non-structured interviews were conducted with 16 managers overseeing the prosthetic device regeneration project of the Italian local health unit (located in Salerno) to explore which soft factors could contribute to the success of a social care multifunctional organization.

Findings

Organizations' handling of certain projects, such as pivoting on soft TQM issues, may allow them to be configured as multiservice organizations. Therefore, a conceptual model of a multiservice social care organization is proposed.

Practical implications

From a managerial perspective, this study presents an interesting success case of a multiservice social care organization with a total annual expenditure of €20 million on prosthetic assistance. Preliminary data show a 13% reduction in public expenditure for Salerno's local health unit via a refurbishment project.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the soft TQM literature debate: although Italian local health professionals appear aware of soft TQM issues' implementation and consciously apply them in their organization and projects, this occurs more with specific CSFs emerging from the literature. Therefore, this article paves the way for further quantitative and theoretical investigations on the adoption of TQM soft issues in social care organizations' performance measurement.

Predicting customer loyalty to Airbnb using PLS-SEM: the role of authenticity, interactivity, involvement and customer engagement

Purpose

Drawing on social exchange theory, this study clarifies the roles of authenticity, interactivity and involvement in predicting customer engagement (CE) and, ultimately, customer loyalty towards an online peer-to-peer accommodation platform. In addition, the study explores the effect of interactivity in increasing authenticity.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through an online questionnaire of a sample of Italian tourists who had previously booked a service on Airbnb. The analyses were conducted by adopting partial least squares structural equation modelling.

Findings

The model has high power in predicting customer loyalty to an online peer-to-peer accommodation platform. Specifically, involvement is the primary predictor of CE and customer loyalty. Authenticity and interactivity also have a significant and positive effect both on CE and customer loyalty. In addition, CE partially mediates the relationship between authenticity, interactivity and involvement and customer loyalty. Finally, interactivity has a significant positive effect on authenticity.

Practical implications

The results encourage hospitality service providers to invest in the creation (and co-creation) of authentic experiences to increase CE and customer loyalty. Hospitality managers can also enhance CE by increasing involvement and interaction with customers through various touchpoints (online and offline) in different moments of the customer journey.

Originality/value

This study proposes an original model to predict customer loyalty to peer-to-peer hospitality platforms. The findings shed new light on the drivers of CE and provide empirical support for the mediating effect of CE. The study also contributes to the literature on authenticity by demonstrating the positive effect of interactivity on authenticity.

Improvements in climate and satisfaction after implementing a quality management system in education

The overall aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of applying ISO:9001 on the school climate and satisfaction in schools. This was done by using a Likert-type evaluation instrument consisting of 21 items with an excellent reliability score for the general scale (Cronbach α = 0.955) and specifically for the school climate dimension (α = 0.969) and school satisfaction (α = 0.927). The instrument was applied to a sample of 2189 subjects (1881 teachers and 308 members of the school management team) at 85 schools in Spain where ISO:9001 has been implemented for at least 3 years. The results show that implementation of this QMS has generally had a medium level impact on school climate and on satisfaction among the teachers, students, and families at the schools in the sample. Moreover, descriptive and differential analyses have been carried out to identify any significant differences in the impact of implementing the QMS on improvements in the two dimensions as a function of the position, gender, seniority at the school, ownership, and size of the school, and length of time with the QMS implemented there. In addition, other analyses were carried out using single-variant general linear models that revealed an effect of interaction between the variables of position and age. Furthermore, cluster analyses were also performed to identify three teacher and management profiles attending to the levels of improvement brought about from implanting the QMS on the dimensions under study.

The Impact of Social Entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibilities, and Working Capital Management Practices on the Performance of Tourism Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) During COVID-19: Moderating Role of Employee Behavior

The failure or success of an enterprise depends upon its working capital management practices (WCMP) along with effective corporate social responsibilities (CSR) and social entrepreneurship (SE). These factors ensure not only the soundness of financial indicators but also the profitability of an enterprise. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of CSR, SE, and WCMP on the performance of small–medium enterprises (SMEs) of tourism sector, during the lockdown period in Malaysia. The goals also include the investigation of moderating role of employee behavior (EB) among the nexus of CSR, SE, WCMP, and performance of SMEs. The survey was performed to find out the practices adopted by the SMEs during corona days. A quantitative research method has been adopted to get data with convenient sampling technique, and PLS-SEM has been exploited to find out the significant nexus among CSR, SE, WCMP, and the performance of SMEs. The results indicate that CSR, SE, and WCMP have a positive association with the performance of SMEs in Malaysia. The results also indicate that EB positively moderates among the nexus of CSR, SE, WCMP, and the performance of SMEs in Malaysia. Stock review strategies by the SMEs during the corona days also exhibit significant differences except for no stock review. Significant differences between the enterprises show a lack of adaptation of the financial indicators that determine enterprise soundness. The study not only provides guidelines for entrepreneurs of SMEs but also helps in maintaining standards for the evaluation of the enterprises.

Total quality management and sustainability in the public service sector: the mediating effect of service innovation

Purpose

This study aims to critically investigate the structural relationships between total quality management (TQM), service innovation and sustainability performance in the public service sector of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed an online survey to collect data from 400 employees working in eight selected UAE public service sector organisations located in Abu Dhabi. The collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to empirically examine whether TQM practices improve service innovation and, subsequently, sustainability performance in the UAE's public service sector.

Findings

The results show that TQM has a significant impact on service innovation and sustainability performance in the UAE's public service sector. Additionally, service innovation partially mediates the relationship between TQM and sustainability performance.

Practical implications

The public service sector's TQM practices and service innovation in the UAE have a much greater impact on social and environmental sustainability than on economic sustainability performance. Adopting five dimensions of TQM (following the Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance [ADAEP] model) across the UAE's public organisations will enable government departments to deliver innovative services to its beneficiaries.

Originality/value

This study provides a substantial contribution by addressing the gaps in the literature. Very few studies have empirically investigated the possible association between TQM, service innovation and sustainability performance in public sector organisations, particularly in developing countries such as the UAE, where the increasing efforts in TQM practices are still in their emerging stages, mainly targeting innovative service offerings and sustainable performance.

Quality cost management in the SMEs of Poland

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to examine the research problem that represents an attempt to approximate the importance of quality costing in managing a modern enterprise using the selected enterprises from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Poland.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary goal of the research is a need to acquire knowledge about the use of quality cost accounts in enterprises operating in Poland. The research has been conducted in the SMEs of production and services. From October 2018 to December 2018, survey-based research was carried out in the selected SMEs of production and service in Poland. The targeted participants of the study are from the medium-sized enterprises, employing 50–250 people.

Findings

The pilot studies conducted in companies indicate that modern enterprises are focused on quality. Many enterprises declare to be continuously improving quality system and quality costing. However, generally, these are large companies that have implemented ISO standards, often part of international corporations. The survey result of the study shows that medium-sized enterprises still make little use of modern cost accounting variants. Based on the study, only 9.75% (39 enterprises) from a representative group of 400 companies from the sectors of manufacturing, services and production as well as service companies apply quality costing. Some of the other enterprises are only taking measures to implement quality cost accounting.

Research limitations/implications

The research has been conducted in randomly selected SMEs in the form of a questionnaire interview. In order to further analyze the construction of quality cost management (QCM) systems and the use of information from QCM by enterprises, case study method should be used more widely.

Practical implications

The results of the study provide useful help for companies that are quality-oriented and want to implement quality costing. The survey has been conducted in 400 enterprises, and the survey results of considered SMEs reveal the most important aspects of the application of quality costing.

Originality/value

The questionnaire used, the answers provided and the resulting conclusions fill the identified research gap. In the author's opinion, findings of research are relevant and useful, not only for accounting practice but also for theory. They show that although TQM and quality costing have been very popular in the literature since the 1990s, the degree of application of quality costing in practice (except for large, often international companies) is too low. So, the suitability of QCM in managing a modern enterprise from the SMEs should be promoted.

The quality movement's three operational paradigms: a text mining venture

Purpose

This study aims to analyze four text-mining studies of quality management (QM) to illustrate and problematize how the research on quality has informed the quality paradigm since the 1980s. By understanding history, one can better manage current developments.

Design/methodology/approach

The findings are based on a meta-analysis of four text-mining studies that explore and describe 11,579 research entries on quality between 1980 and 2017.

Findings

The findings show that the research on quality during the past 30 years form a research paradigm consisting of three operational paradigms: an operative paradigm of backend quality orbiting around QM, total QM (TQM) and service quality; an operative paradigm of middle-way quality, circling around the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), business excellence frameworks (BEFs) and quality awards; and an operative paradigm of frontend quality, revolving around reliability, costs and processes. The operative paradigms are interconnected and complementary; they also show a divide between a general management view of quality and a hands-on engineering view of quality. The findings indicate that the research on quality is a long-lived standalone paradigm, supporting the notion of quality being a genuine academic entity, not a fashion or fad.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical basis of the study is four text-mining studies. Consequently, the results and findings are based on a limited number of findings.

Originality

Text-mining studies targeting research on quality are scarce, and there seem to be no prior models that depict the quality paradigm based on such studies. The perspectives presented here will advance the existing paradigmatic discourse. The new viewpoints aim to facilitate and deepen the discussion on current and future directions of the paradigm.

Optimising Parameters for Expanded Polystyrene Based Pod Production Using Taguchi Method

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is used in the building and construction industry for insulation and under flooring purposes. The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of the application of the total quality management (TQM) technique on the significant parameters of the pod production process in a New Zealand based EPS manufacturing facility. In this work, Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array (OA) is considered for conducting experiments through three input parameters i.e., weight of untreated beads, batch duration, and temperature is investigated. Based on the results, the analyses are carried out while using statistical approaches, such as analysis of the means (ANOM) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results from confirmatory experiment indicate that, at optimal parameters setting (17 kg of untreated bead, 130 s of batch duration and 155 °F of temperature), a reasonably streamlined pod manufacturing process can be achieved for sustainable operations.