An examination of the ISO 9001:2000 standard and its influence on the integration of management systems

Abstract

Analysis of the literature and examination of the various models of integration and testing in the field, have revealed five key issues relating to management system integration. This paper examines the recently published ISO 9001 : 2000 quality management system standard to see how it addresses these issues, under the headings of compatibility, scope and organizational culture. The examination reveals that while compatibility with the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards has been improved in some areas, a different approach and model of a management system has been used. The paper suggests that differences in the scope of the standards are also likely to give rise to different sub-cultures which will hinder integration, and scope and culture are more important than compatibility. This leads the authors to conclude that new models of integration should be based on an approach and definitions which can be used in any management system, as well as an integrated one. Models of an integrated management system should also emphasize the need for no significant differences in the scope of the integrated systems, and a strong culture which supports the main requirements of TQM.     

Evaluation of the green supply chain management practices: a fuzzy ANP approach

Environmentally responsible manufacturing, green supply chain management (GSCM), and related principles have become important strategies for companies to achieve profit and gain market share by lowering their environmental impacts and increasing their efficiency. As environment has become a key strategic consideration in supply chains, this study examines the components and elements of GSCM and suggests a novel GSCM evaluation framework. It also provides a real-case study of Ford Otosan, one of the pioneering companies about environmental subjects in Turkey, to illustrate the industrial application of our theoretical assessment model. The identified components are integrated into a strategic assessment and evaluation tool using analytical network process (ANP). The dynamic characteristics and complexity of the GSCM analysis environment make the ANP technique a suitable tool for this study. Moreover, to cope with ambiguity and vagueness of the decision maker's evaluations, the fuzzy extension of the ANP method is preferred.     

Aspects of manufacturing strategy

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly important for manufacturing organizations to articulate clear and coherent manufacturing strategies that support their long term business objectives. In particular, manufacturing strategy should take conscious account of the competitive posture adopted by the organization in each of the product/market segments in which it has decided to participate. This paper discusses the various ways in which a systemic manufacturing strategy can contribute to an organization's competitiveness, and the processes by which such a strategy can be developed. Some important and often neglected issues concerning the development of the individual components of a manufacturing strategy are examined and the problems and issues of strategy implementation are discussed.     

Managing green productivity: Some strategic directions

The twentieth century has been the hallmark for managing total productivity, where the emphasis is towards maximization of outputs commensurate with the consumption of inputs. This is being challenged now to evolve the world class manufacturing strategy requiring a paradigm shift. This shift is towards green productivity, which looks forward to socially appropriate production and consumption aiming at value innovation and resource conservation. This paper is an attempt to outline the concepts and experiential learning about green productivity.     

对于乡村旅游业发展的思路

发展乡村旅游业,对于促进新农村建设,促进农业发展,提高农民生活水平质量都具有非常重要的意义。本文从发展乡村旅游业的重要性出发,提出了乡村旅游业对农村经济的作用,分析了我国乡村旅游业的现状和存在的问题,在此基础上,重点探讨了乡村旅游业未来发展的新思路:转变观念,充分认识乡村旅游的重要性;沿着与生态旅游、文化旅游相结合的方向发展;开展可持续乡村旅游的发展规划;注重人才培养,从业人员服务质量的提高。     

Distribution Channel Strategies for a Manufacturer with Complementary Products

In this article, we consider distribution channel strategies for an incumbent manufacturer who produces two complementary products and must determine whether or not to have another company to sell its products. We identify factors that affect the manufacturer's motivation to use dual‐channel distribution. Our results show that both complementarity between complements and product substitutability between firms influence the manufacturer's channel strategy. We find that if the potential entrant does not produce the complement of the primary product, a higher complementary effect for the complement will weaken the motivation of the incumbent to add an indirect channel. We also find that the incumbent has a stronger incentive to add the indirect channel when a product's substitutability is high. Furthermore, we show that when the two channels have the same pricing power, the incumbent has a stronger incentive to sell through the indirect channel in a higher pricing power environment.     

The nature of living systems

Living systems theory (LST) is concerned with eight levels of living systems, each of which is composed of 20 critical subsystems that carry out essential life processes. As a result of a continuous biosocial evolution involving progressive fray-out of components, the more recently developed levels in this hierarchy have become very complex. A brief summary of LST is presented in this article. Following this is a detailed analysis of current knowledge about the timer, which we have recently included in our list of subsystems.     

A class of count models and a new consistent test for the Poisson distribution

We define a class of count distributions which includes the Poisson as well as many alternative count models. Then the empirical probability generating function is utilized to construct a test for the Poisson distribution, which is consistent against this class of alternatives. The limit distribution of the test statistic is derived in case of a general underlying distribution, and efficiency considerations are addressed. A simulation study indicates that the new test is comparable in performance to more complicated omnibus tests.     

Risk of Disclosure, Perceptions of Risk, and Concerns about Privacy and Confidentiality as Factors in Survey Participation

This article reports on a web-based vignette experiment investigating how likely subjects would be to participate in surveys varying in topic sensitivity and risk of disclosure. A total of 3,672 participants each responded to a series of eight vignettes, along with a variety of background questions, concerns about confidentiality, trust in various institutions, and the like.Vignettes were randomly assigned to respondents, such that each respondent was exposed to four levels of disclosure risk for each level of topic sensitivity (high versus low). Half the sample was assigned to receive a confidentiality statement for all eight vignettes, while the other half received no mention of confidentiality in the vignettes. The order of presentation of vignettes was randomized for each respondent.Respondents were also asked for their subjective perceptions of risk, harm, and social as well as personal benefits for one of the eight vignettes. Adding these questions permits us to examine how objective risk information presented by the researcher relates to the subjective perception of risk by the participant, and to assess the importance of both for their willingness to participate in the surveys described.Under conditions resembling those of real surveys, objective risk information does not affect willingness to participate. On the other hand, topic sensitivity does have such effects, as do general attitudes toward privacy and survey organizations as well as subjective perceptions of risk, harm, and benefits. We discuss the limitations and implications of these findings.     

论沈从文作品中表现的湘西民歌体裁形式

沈从文在他的作品中大量运用了湘西民歌体裁形式 ,如号子体裁、山歌体裁和小调体裁 ,这说明沈从文不仅是一位伟大的文学家 ,也是一位民族音乐艺术家。