According to W. Edwards Deming, American companies require nothing less than a transformation of management style and of governmental relations with industry. In Out of the Crisis, originally published in 1982, Deming offers a theory of management based on his famous 14 Points for Management. Management's failure to plan for the future, he claims, brings about loss of market, which brings about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but by innovative plans to stay in business, protect investment, ensure future dividends, and provide more jobs through improved product and service. In simple, direct language, he explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them.

Out of the Crisis

In this book, Andrew Harvey sets out to provide a unified and comprehensive theory of structural time series models. Unlike the traditional ARIMA models, structural time series models consist explicitly of unobserved components, such as trends and seasonals, which have a direct interpretation. As a result the model selection methodology associated with structural models is much closer to econometric methodology. The link with econometrics is made even closer by the natural way in which the models can be extended to include explanatory variables and to cope with multivariate time series. From the technical point of view, state space models and the Kalman filter play a key role in the statistical treatment of structural time series models. The book includes a detailed treatment of the Kalman filter. This technique was originally developed in control engineering, but is becoming increasingly important in fields such as economics and operations research. This book is concerned primarily with modelling economic and social time series, and with addressing the special problems which the treatment of such series poses. The properties of the models and the methodological techniques used to select them are illustrated with various applications. These range from the modellling of trends and cycles in US macroeconomic time series to to an evaluation of the effects of seat belt legislation in the UK.

Forecasting, Structural Time Series Models and the Kalman Filter

A review on machinery diagnostics and prognostics implementing condition-based maintenance

In the past few years several major reports highlighted the gap between our knowledge of effective treatments and services currently being received by consumers. These reports agree that we know much about interventions that are effective but make little use of them to help achieve important behavioral health outcomes for children families and adults nationally. This theme is repeated in reports by the Surgeon General (United States Department of Health and Human Services 1999; 2001) the National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH] National Advisory Mental Health Council Workgroup on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Intervention Development and Deployment (2001) Bernfeld Farrington & Leschied (2001) Institute of Medicine (2001) and the Presidents New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (2003). The authors call for applied research to better understand service delivery processes and contextual factors to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of program implementation at local state and national levels. Our understanding of how to develop and evaluate evidence-based intervention programs has been furthered by on-going efforts to research and refine programs and practices to define "evidence bases" and to designate and catalogue "evidence-based programs or practices". However the factors involved in successful implementation of these programs are not as well understood. Current views of implementation are based on the scholarly foundations prepared by Pressman & Wildavskys (1973) study of policy implementation Havelock & Havelocks (1973) classic curriculum for training change agents and Rogers (1983; 1995) series of analyses of factors influencing decisions to choose a given innovation. These foundations were tested and further informed by the experience base generated by pioneering attempts to implement Fairweather Lodges and National Follow-Through education models among others. Petersilia (1990) concluded that "The ideas embodied in innovative social programs are not self-executing." Instead what is needed is an "implementation perspective on innovation--an approach that views postadoption events as crucial and focuses on the actions of those who convert it into practice as the key to success or failure". (excerpt)

Implementation research: a synthesis of the literature.

New Patterns of Management.

Working towards agile manufacturing in the UK industry

This paper focuses on implementation of the CSR agenda in small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and reports on research findings from an action research case study that has been conducted in a UK based SME. The case study research demonstrates how the CSR agenda has been implemented using ISO 9001:2000 as a platform and what benefits the case study organization has gained from this approach. These results are compared with a UK survey on feasibility of CSR for SMEs conducted by the UK's Department of Trade and Industry and parallels are drawn. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

How can SMEs effectively implement the CSR agenda? A UK case study perspective

The role of maintenance in modern manufacturing is becoming ever more important, with companies adopting maintenance as a profit-generating business element. As a result, traditional terms used to describe maintenance such as “necessary evil” seem to be obsolete. It would appear that the aim of the maintenance function is to contribute towards an organisation’s profit, clearly bringing the need for maintenance operations to be in harmony with corporate business objectives. As the measurement activity provides the link between the actual output and the desired results, performance measurement systems are crucial to those who have a stake in maintenance, to ensure that they are not in conflict with the overall business needs. This paper looks at the role of performance measurement systems (PMS) in maintenance, with particular reference to developing a new PMS using the quality function deployment (QFD) technique. First, a literature review on performance measurement is presented, in which the key factors for an effective PMS are identified. Second, common PMSs for maintenance are examined. Then, based on the principles of an effective PMS a discussion on PMSs is presented, when applied to the maintenance function. Next, a framework is developed to embrace these key facets, which is followed by a discussion of its practical implications, in the light of its application within a SME.

A framework for managing maintenance using performance measurement systems

Modern manufacturing requires that to be successful organisations must be supported by both effective and efficient maintenance. One approach to improving the performance of maintenance activities is to implement and develop a total productive maintenance (TPM) strategy. However, it is well documented that a number of organisations are failing to successfully implement such strategies. This paper outlines research carried out by the Aeronautical, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department at Salford University aimed at discovering the factors affecting the successful implementation of TPM. This research has led to the development of a generic model indicating factors affecting the successful implementation of TPM. The validity of the generic model has been tested in a UK manufacturing small‐ to medium‐size enterprise (SME) and the case study research findings further triangulated through a review of documented case study evidence. This research has also led to the development of recommendations to improve the TPM development and implementation program of the case study organisation. Further development of the research has resulted in a step‐wise program or generic roadmap for UK SMEs which is proposed as a tool for the implementation or rejuvenation of an organisation’s TPM program.

Factors affecting successful implementation of total productive maintenance

Following the growing interest in corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Committee on Consumer Policy (ISO/COPOLCO) opened the discussion about the feasibility of CSR management system standard. In this paper, we investigate the underlying issues that shape the development of CSR standard. Based on our case study research, we provide a framework for organisations to establish, manage, improve and document a CSR management system. This framework is based on process and systems thinking and analogous to ISO 9001:2000 adding significantly to existing definitive management frameworks. Finally, we outline areas for further research and indicate substantial managerial implications.

John M. Sharp

Papers

Working towards agile manufacturing in the UK industry

How can SMEs effectively implement the CSR agenda? A UK case study perspective

A framework for managing maintenance using performance measurement systems

Factors affecting successful implementation of total productive maintenance

Integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) into ISO management systems – in search of a feasible CSR management system framework