International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management 

About: International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management is an academic journal published by Inderscience Publishers. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Computer science & Quality management. It has an ISSN identifier of 1746-6474. Over the lifetime, 837 publications have been published receiving 6307 citations. The journal is also known as: IJPQM.

Interpretive structural modelling of factors for improving competitiveness of SMEs

Abstract: The competitiveness of an organisation can be defined as its ability to sustain its long-term performance better than its competitors in the market. In this paper, various competitiveness factors are identified from the literature review and experts opinion. The Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) approach has been employed to develop the structural relationship among different factors of competitiveness to enable the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) management to take strategic decisions. The paper has also tried to define the levels of different competitiveness factors based on their driving/dependence power and their mutual relationships. It is observed that cost reduction, on-time delivery, quality improvement, inventory management and competitiveness are weak drivers and dependent on other variables. Top management commitment, employees' training and participation, state-of-the-art technology, market research and analysis, vendor development, product design and development capability are at the bottom of the ISM model, indicating strong driving power.

A neural network approach for assessing quality in technical education: an empirical study

Abstract: The diverse nature of requirements of stakeholders in a Technical Education System (TES) makes it extremely difficult to decide on what constitutes quality. Hence, identification of common minimum quality items suitable to all stakeholders will help to design the system and thereby improve customer satisfaction. To address this issue, a measuring instrument known as EduQUAL is developed and an integrative approach using neural networks for evaluating service quality is proposed. The dimensionality of EduQUAL is validated by factor analysis followed by varimax rotation. Four neural network models based on back-propagation algorithm are employed to predict quality in education for different stakeholders. This study demonstrated that the P-E gap model is found to be the best model for all the stakeholders. Sensitivity analysis of the best model for each stakeholder was carried out to appraise the robustness of the model. Finally, areas of improvement were suggested to the administrators of the institutions.

Productivity and quality improvement: an implementation framework

Abstract: Most managers realise that their success is directly related to effective and continual implementation of process improvements in their organisations. A major managerial problem has been the inability to successfully implement change in many firms. Research shows that the effective application of team-oriented and data-focused total quality (TQ) improvement tools is not sufficient to assure the efficacious implementation of change. Nor were teams that utilised solely the logic tools of the theory of constraints (TOC) totally successful in implementing change in their organisations. Firms were more likely to achieve their improvement goals when they used a structured and repeatable method, rather than an ad hoc approach, for continuous improvement (CI). Viewing the situation from an operations management perspective, this paper presents a logical and well-structured framework for implementing the CI managerial philosophy to improve the productivity and quality of the organisation as a whole, as well as its work-performing processes.

Total quality management: literature review and an agenda for future research

Abstract: The past decade has seen many firms focusing on total quality management (TQM) as a means of improving profits, market share, and competitiveness. In this paper, an attempt is made to review the status of literature on TQM. The literature classification is done according to content and process issues of the article. Total of 153 articles from 55 refereed journals and international conferences are classified according to content (instrument, model, literature review, trans-national comparison, best practices, and economics) and process related issues of the articles. The methodology used in the literature is categorised into conceptual, descriptive, empirical, exploratory cross sectional, and exploratory longitudinal approaches. Considering all these aspects, some possible research issues are also identified.

Identification and modelling of barriers in the implementation of TQM

Abstract: Total quality management (TQM) implementation has been an important aspect for improving organisational efficiency. Organisations work for TQM implementation, spend their resources on it and expect anticipated benefits of TQM in terms of profitability, customer satisfaction and quality of product. There are, however, certain barriers which inhibit the successful implementation of TQM. The main objective of this paper is to understand the mutual interaction of these barriers and identify the 'driving barriers' (i.e. which influence the other barriers) and the 'dependent barriers' (i.e. which are influenced by others). In the present work, these barriers have been identified through the literature, their ranking is done by a questionnaire-based survey and interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach has been utilised in analysing their mutual interaction. An ISM model has been prepared to identify some key barriers and their managerial implications in the implementation of TQM.