EXPLODING THE MYTH: DO ALL QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES CONTRIBUTE TO SUPERIOR QUALITY PERFORMANCE?

In his landmark article on total quality management, Powell (1995) lamented the lack of large scale studies investigating quality management practices and performance. This study begins to fill that void using a large, random sample of manufacturing sites. The results show that quality practices can be categorized into nine dimensions. However, not all of them contribute to superior quality outcomes. “Employee commitment,” “shared vision,” and “customer focus” combine to yield a positive correlation with quality outcomes. Conversely, other “hard” quality practices, such as “benchmarking,” “cellular work teams,” “advanced manufacturing technologies,” and “close supplier relations” do not contribute to superior quality outcomes.     

Cosmopolitan attitudes through transnational social practices?

Within the scope of the debate surrounding globalization, ever increasing attention is being directed to the growth of border‐crossing social relations and the emergence of transnational social spaces on the micro‐level. In particular, the question of how these border‐crossing interrelations influence the attitudes and values of the people involved causes some controversy. Some assume that the increasing trans‐nationalization of social relations will foster the development of cosmopolitan attitudes, while others warn that renationalization may also be a result. On the empirical level, the relationship between transnationalization and cosmopolitanism has so far only been addressed with regard to certain groups or specific circumstances. However, we assume that on the general level there is a positive relation between the two syndromes and address this question empirically on the level of the entire German population. On the basis of a representative survey of German citizens carried out in 2006, we find that people with border‐crossing experiences and transnational social relations are more likely to adopt cosmopolitan attitudes with respect to foreigners and global governance. The analysis shows that this general interrelation remains stable even when controlling for relevant socio‐economic variables.     

What Malaysian women believe about Viagra: a qualitative inquiry

This paper highlights women's perceptions of sildenafil citrate (Viagra^®, Pfizer). It is based on a qualitative study on perceptions of erectile dysfunction in the Malaysian multicultural society. Six focus groups were conducted, consisting of 69 women, aged between 40 and 70 years, recruited from the general public and who had given informed consent. The findings revealed that the women were aware of erectile dysfunction and Viagra. Due to their concern about the negative aspects of Viagra, the Chinese and Malay traditional methods of treatment were commonly mentioned. The women from three ethnic groups viewed the possibility of their husband starting to take Viagra with lots of suspicion, mistrust and fear. They would prefer their husband discussing with them the issue of resorting to taking Viagra. The Chinese and Indian women perceived that if a man takes Viagra, it will boost his ego and he will feel more manly. Indian women felt that a man taking Viagra is proof of his love for his wife. The Malay women felt that a man would be ashamed and have a low self-esteem if he were to resort to taking Viagra. Although Viagra is meant for the male, understanding of women's perception of it is beneficial for a couple's sexual relationship.     

EFFECTS OF OPERATIONAL EMPLOYEE SKILLS ON ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY PERFORMANCE

This study employs structured interviews in a field setting to develop an in‐depth understanding of how a specific human resource decision affected manufacturing performance at 30 plants using advanced manufacturing technologies. Initial results suggested that there is no relationship between the skill level of operational employees and the level of performance of the installations. When a measure of “fit” between environmental characteristics and skills was employed, however, there was a significant relationship between the fit measure and performance.     

EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT: AN EXAMINATION OF SERVICE STRATEGY IN A HIGH‐CONTACT SERVICE ENVIRONMENT

A critical component of service strategy in high‐contact environments is service encounter management. Effective service encounters are a result of the quality of employee development, including systems for work and job design, training and development, and attention to employee well being. Results of empirical analysis indicate that service strategies reflecting the dimensions of employee development drive employee outcomes such as productivity and satisfaction. Employee outcomes are significantly associated with customer satisfaction, but only some linkages to financial performance are significant. This study illustrates the importance of employee development in service strategy design for managing service encounters in high contact service environments.     

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT'S NEW “REQUISITE VARIETY”

This essay is based on my plenary address at the second annual meeting of the Production and Operations Management Society on November 11, 1991. I propose that as the competitive environment in which production and operations management (POM) practitioners operate becomes ever more demanding and the problems about which POM academics study and teach become more complex and interrelated, we need new approaches both in our teaching and our research. I describe five ways of expanding our “requisite variety” of capabilities.     

Group Identity and Individuality in Times of Crisis: Psychoanalytic Reflections on Social Psychological Knowledge

This paper locates contemporary socialpsychological conceptions of group identity in thecontext of crises in forms of knowledge, and in the waysresearchers have responded to crises in disciplinaryidentity. Forms of group social psychology that emergedwithin the European tradition of research promised afully social account of human activity and experience,but recent trends of research in the discipline, even within group identity frameworks, havereturned to the individual as a focus of study. The workof Bion is used to draw attention to the ways in whichcrises in group identity often provoke particular varieties of response which serve to defend thegroup, varieties of response which look to theindividual as an escape from the threat or as a solutionto the problem.     

Negotiated Project Engagements: Learning from Experience

How far is it possible to capture the lessons tobe drawn from successive projects that involveintervention by social scientists within or betweenorganizations, whether acting as researchers, asconsultants, as agents of change, or in some combination ofthese roles? This paper outlines the way in which aframework was developed, by staff and associates of TheTavistock Institute, for examining the varied and often subtle influences of successive“negotiated project engagements” on thedevelopment of wider personal, institutional, anddisciplinary programs. This framework is designed totake into account the contrasting perspectives of the investigatorsthemselves, of their organizational hosts, and of anyexternal sponsors whose primary concern will normally bewith project outcomes at a more generalized level. As an illustration, particular reference ismade to the experience of a pioneering project concernedwith policy-making in city government. This project wasundertaken to advance the understanding and practice of public planning, while also exploring thepotential for synergy between the perspectives ofoperational research and applied social science. Thepaper concludes with some speculations about thepotential for further developing this kind of frameworkin supporting experiential learning.     

American Studies in India: a retrospect

Abstract

This article was prompted by John Muthyala's piece in Comparative American Studies entitled ' "America" in Transit: The Heresies of American Studies Abroad' (2003). However, it is not simply a response; it attempts to plug certain gaps in the earlier article and draw attention to a few factual details essential for a proper understanding of the growth and evolution of American Studies in India. During the years when funds from the US government were in ample supply, the discipline flourished in Indian universities. Following the cessation of fiscal support, it has been languishing, but by no means is it dead: committed scholars continue to work in American Studies and a lot of academic activity still takes place. The present article begins with the historical background and the earliest exchanges between India and the USA; it concludes with reference to the scenario now, in 2004, which may not be too bright but is certainly not without hope.