An optimal design for process quality improvement: modelling and application

Existing research works on process quality improvement focus largely on the linkages between quality improvement cost and production economics such as set-up cost and defect rate reduction. This paper deals with the optimal design problem for process improvement by balancing the sunk investment cost and revenue increments due to the process improvement. We develop an optimal model based on Taguchi cost functions. The model is validated through a real case study in automotive industry where the 6-sigma DMAIC methodology has been applied. According to this research, the management can adjust the investment on prevention and appraisal costs on quality improvement that enhances process capability, reduces product defect rate and, as a result, generates remarkable financial return.     

双边道德风险下供应链质量协调契约研究

契约的公平性是契约有效性的前提,也是提高供应链协调效率的基本保证。本文基于外部市场变化对契约公平性影响,运用委托代理理论,同时考虑供应商和制造商质量失误的基础上,构建双边道德风险下二级供应链质量控制博弈模型,分析外部损失分担与内部惩罚质量契约协调下双方产品质量控制水平,研究外部市场及质量成本变化对两种契约的公平性和有效性的影响,并对模型分析结果进行仿真验证。结果显示：外部认证系统直接影响外部损失分担契约的公平性与有效性,而对内部惩罚契约无效;当供应商不必为制造商质量失误负责时,外部损失契约将实现对供应链的质量协调;随着供应商质量控制成本的提高,内部惩罚契约质量控制效果将高于外部损失分担契约,而当制造商质量控制成本下降时,外部损失分担契约较内部损失分担契更有效。因此,保证契约的公平性是实现供应链产品质量协调的根本前提。     

双边道德风险条件下供应链的质量控制策略

运用委托代理理论方法探讨了双边道德风险条件下供应链的质量控制策略.在供应商的质量预防投入成本和销售商的质量评价投入成本均为不可观测的信息的情况下,供应商和销售商都可能会发生签约后的道德风险问题.为了减少由此产生的双边道德风险,将供应商提供不合格产品而销售商未能检测出时对供应商的惩罚,及销售商检测出供应商的产品有缺陷时对其施以的惩罚作为激励措施.在考虑了双方的收益目标后,建立了双边道德风险条件下的质量控制模型.运用进化规划算法对模型作了仿真计算.     

两级供应链产品质量控制契约模型分析

基于博弈论和委托代理理论,研究在两级供应链中如何进行质量控制契约设计的问题。建立生产商和购买商的期望收益函数模型,生产商对其生产过程投资水平进行决策并确定其产品质量预防水平;购买商进行质量评价决策并确定其产品质量检验水平。生产商存在降低其生产过程投资水平的道德风险问题,在生产过程中将"削减投资",购买商为激励生产商提高其生产过程投资水平将支付"信息租金"的成本。购买商在进行产品质量检验决策时,存在夸大产品质量缺陷率的道德风险问题,在产品质量检验过程中将"过度检验"。运用最优化原理,求解生产商的最优生产过程投资水平、产品质量预防水平和价格折扣额与购买商的最优质量检验水平和外部损失分摊比例,并进行了算例分析,结果表明:当生产商提高其生产过程投资水平时,其质量预防水平将显著增加,购买商的质量检验水平将显著下降;随着购买商质量检验水平的提高,生产商所提供的价格折扣额先增大后减少,生产商所承担的外部损失分摊比例将会下降,其期望收益增加,购买商的期望收益将会减少,供应链联合期望收益将呈现"倒U"型,求解了期望收益的最大值及各契约参数的值,结果证明所提出的质量控制契约模型是可行的。     

Quality costing: a management review

This paper relates a review of the English language literature on quality costing and traces its historical development; it provides authoritative reading on the subject. The review also has a focus on collection and use of quality-costing methods, quantitative cost data and the role and views of accountants in the task of quality-cost collection and reporting. Amongst the main findings is the preoccupation with the prevention – appraisal – failure categorization of quality costs and lack of guidance on definitions. The considerable impact of the American quality profession on the development of quality costing is pointed out along with the increasingly positive stance of accountants.     

考虑质量失误的供应链博弈模型研究

在理性的制造商和供应商组成的二级供应链中,考虑存在产品质量失误的情况下,通过最优化方法选择中间品的质量水平和制造商的检测水平,以实现供应链的利润最大化.并结合实际情况,根据质量内部、外部失误的不同承担方式,讨论了三种质量损失承担方式,得到在整体损失由两者共同承担的情况下,通过制定合理的内、外部损失分配系数,可以使两者选择水平的纳什均衡解与供应链的全局最优解相符,从而实现供应链全局最优和局部最优的一致.所得结论对指导供应链的有效运作有着较好的实际意义和参考价值.     

基于多Agent仿真的组织学习与知识水平关系研究

运用多智能体仿真模型从微观层面构建组织知识学习仿真模型,研究在组织内部人员流动和组织外部环境变动的情况下,组织知识编码策略、组织内部人际学习速度和组织人员编码知识学习速度对组织知识水平的影响.研究结果表明,在外部环境变动的情况下.适当的人员变动有利于提高组织知识水平,二者的关系呈倒U型结构;在内外环境稳定的情况下,人际学习速度与组织知识水平的关系也呈倒U型结构,但在组织内外环境变动的情况下,高人际学习速度有利于提高组织知识水平;频繁的组织知识编码能在短时间内提高组织知识水平,但影响组织知识的异构性,不利于组织长期知识水平的提高;在外部环境变动的情况下,适当的知识编码策略有利于缓解环境变动对组织知识水平的负面影响.从理论上扩展和验证了现有模型,从实践上为组织文化氛围建设、知识编码管理和人力资源管理提供启示.     

Physician executives straddle the digital divide

e-Health is here to stay and experts predict that the Internet will become the hub of health care. Rapid advancements in biotechnology and medical research, increasingly curious patients who surf the Internet for medical information, and pressures from managed care companies to contain costs and speed treatments are the central components driving e-health. Despite physician reluctance to embrace the e-revolution, many hospitals and medical groups are employing the Internet and information technology to improve their customer interface, as well as to reduce business costs. This article offers seven e-strategies for health care performance improvement: (1) Supply chain management; (2) e-transactions; (3) care management; (4) improving quality; (5) boosting revenues; (6) outsourcing; and (7) provider networks (Intranets). By helping to incorporate these key e-solutions, physician executives can position their organizations for success in the new millennium.     

An Approach for Optimal Allocation of Safety Resources: Using the Knapsack Problem to Take Aggregated Cost‐Efficient Preventive Measures

On the basis of the combination of the well‐known knapsack problem and a widely used risk management technique in organizations (that is, the risk matrix), an approach was developed to carry out a cost‐benefits analysis to efficiently take prevention investment decisions. Using the knapsack problem as a model and combining it with a well‐known technique to solve this problem, bundles of prevention measures are prioritized based on their costs and benefits within a predefined prevention budget. Those bundles showing the highest efficiencies, and within a given budget, are identified from a wide variety of possible alternatives. Hence, the approach allows for an optimal allocation of safety resources, does not require any highly specialized information, and can therefore easily be applied by any organization using the risk matrix as a risk ranking tool.     

Measuring Dynamic Capabilities: Practices and Performance in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Research on dynamic capabilities emphasizes the importance and role of organizational routines in explaining interfirm differences in performance. While performance differences are well documented, few empirical analyses explore the processes inside organizations that lead to dynamic capabilities or attempt to define and measure their performance effects. This paper examines one type of dynamic capability – the development and introduction of new process technologies in semiconductor manufacturing. This dynamic capability is an important source of competitiveness in the semiconductor industry, given the short product lifecycles, rapid price declines, and rapid technological advances that define the industry. Because much of the knowledge that underpins semiconductor manufacturing is idiosyncratic, firm-level R&D organization and information technology practices that facilitate problem solving and learning-based improvement provide important and enduring advantages. We derive models of the rate of improvement in manufacturing yield (i.e. the quality of production) and cycle time (i.e. the speed of production) following the development and introduction of new process technologies in manufacturing facilities, and test the empirical specifications of these models. The ways in which semiconductor manufacturers accumulate experience and articulate and codify knowledge within the manufacturing environment build new process development and introduction dynamic capabilities that improve performance.     

The disassembly line: balancing and modeling,by S.M. McGovern and S.M. Gupta

This note addresses a problem faced by an actual firm. The problem is to decide on the optimal level of product quality. In performing the economic analysis to determine product quality level, the firm considers revenue, production costs, and research and development costs. However, this note shows that ignoring inventory costs in the analysis will lead to suboptimal product quality levels. Also, including inventory costs in the analysis will lead to reduced production lot sizes. Numerical examples are used to illustrate the results of the model.     

Supply vessel planning under cost,environment and robustness considerations

Offshore oil and gas installations need reliable cargo deliveries. The vessels supplying these installations on a periodic basis are expensive and constitute a source of emissions of greenhouse gases. Incorporating vessel speed optimization into the supply vessel planning process may significantly reduce fuel consumption and hence emissions. In addition, speed optimization may yield cost reductions if the number of vessels used does not increase. A main uncertainty factor, especially in the winter season, is the weather conditions which impact sailing and service times. Cost minimization and the application of speed optimization strategies may have implications on the robustness of weekly supply vessel schedules since idle times in the schedules are reduced. We develop a simulation-optimization based methodology that considers costs, emissions and robustness in the generation of weekly supply vessel schedules. Results of analyses conducted on real instances show that robustness requirements may yield both increased emissions and costs in the winter season. However, depending on instance characteristics, different degrees of robustness can be incorporated with both costs and emissions reductions through speed optimization.     

英国政府现行公务员绩效评估制度概述

从5个方面概述了英国政府现行公务员绩效评估制度,即领导公务员绩效评估的机构;公务员绩效评估的内容;组织公务员绩效评估的程序;实施绩效评估的标准;公务员的绩效评估与晋职加薪挂钩,可供我国在完善公务员制度以及促进公务员队伍的考评工作时借鉴参考。     

A TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT-BASED INCENTIVE SYSTEM SUPPORTING TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION

Although there have been many cases of total quality management (TQM) success, embracing TQM does not always lead to performance improvements. Many companies resist the changes in organizational processes such as compensation and performance appraisal systems that are required to link TQM efforts to bottom-line performance. We present the basic structure of a TQM-based compensation system that can provide incentives based on a variety of performance measures, including an explicit incentive for the reduction of variability in product variables. As a result, this approach encourages the continuous improvement central to the TQM philosophy, rather than serving as a disincentive for such improvement as do many traditional compensation systems. The set of performance measures can be adjusted periodically to focus on those measures deemed most likely to yield significant increases in customer satisfaction, further supporting the core elements of TQM. The approach is described using examples from the paper manufacturing operation where it has been successfully implemented. A longitudinal analysis of several performance measures is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new compensation system.     

Evaluating the Deming Management Model of Total Quality in Services*

This article uses the Deming management model developed by Anderson et al. (1994b) as an initial template to analyze total quality in services. While the literatures addressing quality management have developed separately for products and services, the founders of total quality portrayed this management philosophy as universally oriented. Our study first replicates two earlier studies that tested the Deming management model in manufacturing industries. Using hospitals as our unit of analysis, we realized findings similar to the earlier manufacturing studies. Next, we used contributions from the MBNQA literature to test an enhanced model. Our subsequent findings support the MBNQA concept that “leadership drives the system that creates results” and provides evidence of the ubiquitous importance of leadership for ensuring the success of a quality improvement program. Finally, an anomaly of this study and those published earlier is the inability to find support for the relationship between continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. Integrating the substantial work in the service quality literature focused on customer satisfaction measurement is recommended to future researchers to help resolve this issue and further enhance the model.     

组织网络隐性知识扩散及学习策略分析

知识主要以显性知识和隐性知识两种方式存在,隐性知识是组织获得竞争优势的主要源泉.隐性知识为组织个体所拥有,这种私有性的特征使其在组织内部的扩散需要通过组织个体之间的交互才能完成.组织网络连接强度对扩散具有影响,可利用具有边权重的组织网络研究隐性知识的扩散行为.在分析隐性知识和相关扩散特点的基础上,基于组织成员之间的关系网络和小世界网络模型,建立组织网络上的知识扩散模型.根据认识论的观点,提出个体3种知识学习策略,结合知识扩散模型进行计算仿真实验.仿真结果显示,综合考虑关系和知识差别的知识学习策略最有效,不考虑连接强度下的各种策略都具有较快的知识学习速率,并且连接强度对组织内隐性知识扩散具有明显的作用.     

Reputation for Quality

We propose a model of firm reputation in which a firm can invest or disinvest in product quality and the firm's reputation is defined as the market's belief about this quality. We analyze the relationship between a firm's reputation and its investment incentives, and derive implications for reputational dynamics. Reputational incentives depend on the specification of market learning. When consumers learn about quality through perfect good news signals, incentives decrease in reputation and there is a unique work–shirk equilibrium with ergodic dynamics. When learning is through perfect bad news signals, incentives increase in reputation and there is a continuum of shirk–work equilibria with path‐dependent dynamics. For a class of imperfect Poisson learning processes and low investment costs, we show that there exists a work–shirk equilibrium with ergodic dynamics. For a subclass of these learning processes, any equilibrium must feature working at all low and intermediate levels of reputation and shirking at the top.     

AN EXAMINATION OF THE INDIRECT PRODUCTIVITY GAINS FROM QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Recent theoretical work suggests that quality-improvement activities can yield significant indirect effects through process improvements and reduced factory congestion and confusion, benefits that are overlooked or hidden in most management accounting or cost of quality systems. Using time series data from two consumer durables manufacturing plants, I estimate the indirect productivity gains from quality improvement. The evidence from the plants indicates that the indirect effects from improved quality are at least two to three times the direct benefits attributable to lower scrap, rework, and inventory holding costs. An important implication of these findings is that companies that justify investments and measure performance based only on the direct costs of poor quality will motivate managers to make suboptimal decisions regarding quality-improvement activities.     

Bringing IT Back: An Analysis of the Decision to Backsource or Switch Vendors

Whereas the decision to outsource information systems (IS) has been an important focus in IS research and practice, the decision to switch vendors or to backsource has received little attention. Evidence suggests that in practice, however, the decision to backsource or to switch vendors is becoming increasingly common as firms vie for ways to continue to cut information technology (IT) costs and improve IT service levels. This research specifically examines the factors associated with the decision to backsource or to switch vendors. Based on a sample of 160 IT managers involved with application development, we compare and contrast the perceptions of those who switched vendors, backsourced, or continued in an outsourcing relationship for application development. Our findings suggest that product quality, service quality, relationship quality, and switching costs are related to the decision to backsource application outsourcing. However, service and product quality did not influence the decision to switch vendors. Rather, firms that made the decision to switch vendors reported high levels of service and product quality but low levels of relationship quality and switching costs.