A l’image des grands groupes, les PME souhaitent, elles aussi, profiter des méthodes modernes de management pour améliorer leurs processus, leurs performances et leur compétitivité. L’intérêt du secteur des PME se porte sur les éléments du concept Lean Six Sigma qui leur semblent appropriés pour réaliser ces objectifs. Après avoir constaté une lacune dans les recherches sur ce sujet et une lacune méthodologique concernant l’implémentation du LSS dans les PME, nous proposons une méthodologie de conception, d’application et de contrôle du LSS pour ces PME, que nous avons appelée LSS Plutus. Elle est dédiée aux PME de la production et elle prend en compte leur spécificité. Dans ce but, nous avons restreint la boîte à outils traditionnelle du LSS utilisée dans les grands groupes. Nous avons également créé deux variantes pour mettre en œuvre notre méthodologie qui correspondent aux besoins, capacités et maturités différents des PME. Nous avons élaboré des indicateurs, des outils, ainsi qu’un guide d’application de la méthode LSS pour les PME de la production et sa version informatique en TIBCO. Nous avons décidé de renforcer l’efficience des améliorations, en déployant les actions de planification, de standardisation et de pérennisation des changements. Dans ce but, nous proposons de modifier les critères du Modèle d’Excellence E.F.Q.M. pour qu’elles puissent prendre en compte les conditions de fonctionnement de la méthode LSS dans les PME. La méthodologie proposée a été vérifiée dans deux PME de la production en Pologne et en France, ce qui a confirmé son utilité et son efficacité en termes d’amélioration des performances et de développement des organisations / As well as the large companies, also the small and medium-sized enterprises desire to take advantage of modern management methods to improve their process, their performances and competitiveness. The interest of the SMEs is focused on the elements of the Lean Six Sigma concept that seem to be appropriate to achieve these goals. As we have identified a gap in the research on this topic and a methodological gap about the LSS implementation in the small and medium companies, we propose a methodology that we called LSS Plutus to design, apply and control Lean Six Sigma in the SMEs. It is dedicated to the small and medium production enterprises and it takes into account their specificity. For this purpose, we have limited the traditional LSS toolbox used by the large companies. We have also created two variants to apply our methodology according to the different needs, capacities and maturities of the SMEs. We have developed indicators, tools, as well as a practical guide for applying the LSS for the production SMEs and its computerized version in TIBCO. To enhance the efficiency of the improvements, we have deployed the planning, standardization and sustainability of the changes. For this purpose, we propose to modify the criteria of the EFQM Excellence Model in order to adapt it to the operating conditions of the Lean Six Sigma method in the SMEs. The proposed methodology has been verified in two production SMEs in Poland and in France that confirmed its utility and effectiveness in terms of performance improvement and organizational development

Organizations have been facing an increasing process of requirements in terms of having a responsible and engaged posture regarding the environment. In this context, organizations have been trying to establish forms of management to be in conformity with the changes of world thinking and behavior. Nowadays, investments in environmental management are some aspects which have been strengthening the positive image of organizations in the market in which the organizations act as well as their image with stakeholders. The concern of the society about the environmental quality and the sustainable use of environment has been reflecting in the elaboration of severe laws. Thus, organizations search for the conformity with the environment and the society through the use of ISO 14001 certification. The certification of environmental management systems has been an efficient tool to reach the expected results in companies, which face seriously the process of continuous improvement. This way, the present work aims to analyze the implementation of the norm ISO 14001:2004 in organizations. The relevance of this study subject can be well supported by the pressure made by all the parts interested on the system of organizations related to the environmental preservation. The research has a qualitative characteristic and the methodology used firstly a theoretical background, which was followed by the interpretation of the norm to provide a greater comprehension and clearance of the context to be dealt with. The organizations were characterized, presented, and afterwards the analysis of the elaborated research was made according to the requirements of the norm. The norm ISO 14001, which is a generic norm that is appropriate to any kind of organization, opens the possibility for different comprehension and interpretation of its requirements. This, a deep study of the environmental aspects of the organizations which search for the conformity with the norm certification should be taken into consideration. Therefore, besides the economic aspects, organizations have been incorporating some actions linked to the quality of environment and the sustainable development into their strategic planning and environmental policies. / As organizações têm se defrontado com uma crescente cobrança por posturas responsáveis e comprometidas com o meio ambiente. Nesse contexto, as organizações têm procurado estabelecer formas de gestão, buscando uma conformidade com as mudanças de pensamento e comportamento mundial. Hoje em dia, os investimentos destinados à gestão ambiental são aspectos que fortalecem a imagem positiva das organizações diante dos mercados em que atuam e dos seus stakeholders. Assim, preocupação que a sociedade vem demonstrando com a qualidade ambiental e com a utilização sustentável do meio ambiente tem se refletido na elaboração de leis cada vez mais severas. Diante desses fatores, as organizações buscam a conformidade com o meio ambiente e sociedade por meio da certificação ISO 14001. A certificação de Sistemas de Gestão Ambiental tem se mostrado uma ferramenta eficiente para se atingir os resultados desejados nas organizações que encaram com seriedade o processo de melhoria contínua. Dessa forma, o presente estudo tem por objetivo analisar a implementação da Norma ISO 14001:2004 em organizações. A importância do tema justifica-se pela pressão exercida por todas as partes interessadas no sistema das organizações relacionado à preservação do meio ambiente. A pesquisa é de caráter qualitativo. A metodologia partiu de uma fundamentação teórica, na qual posteriormente a Norma foi interpretada para um maior entendimento e clareza do contexto a ser tratado. As empresas foram caracterizadas e apresentadas e, logo após, feita a análise da pesquisa elaborada dentro dos requisitos da Norma. A NBR ISO 14001, sendo uma norma genérica e aplicável a qualquer tipo de organização, abre a perspectiva para algumas diferenciações no entendimento e interpretação de seus requisitos. Sendo assim, um estudo mais aprofundado das questões ambientais das organizações, que buscam a conformidade com a certificação da Norma, deve ser levado em consideração. Assim, além das questões econômicas, as organizações estão incorporando, em seu planejamento estratégico e políticas ambientais, ações relacionadas à qualidade do meio ambiente e o desenvolvimento sustentável.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur relationen mellan chefer i olika ledarpositioner inom en organisation påverkar varandras möjligheter att utöva ett ledarskap och vilka förutsättningar som möjliggör att ständigt förbättras som ledare. Forskningen har avgränsats till ledare i allmänhet och avser inte chefer i ett speciellt sammanhang eller organisation. Teorikapitlet innehåller den teoretiska kontext som studien har baserats på. Ämnet ständiga förbättringar har presenterats och vad förbättringskunskap innebär samt vilka förutsättningar som behövs för ett arbete med ständiga förbättringar inom en organisation. Därefter har ett ledarskap i ständig förbättring beskrivits. Eftersom litteratur och forskning inom detta område har varit begränsat har teorin baserats utifrån ledarskapskompetens och ledarskapsutveckling. Det sista teorikapitlet har omfattat samverkan mellan chefer utifrån relationer och interaktioner samt strukturella beteendemönster. Intresset för denna undersökning har inriktades mot interaktionen mellan chefer i olika positioner och deras upplevelser av möjligheten att ständigt förbättra sitt ledarskap. Sju chefer intervjuades i syfte att undersöka detta utifrån deras egna erfarenheter, upplevelser och möjligheter att bedriva ett ledarskap i ständig förbättring. Den kunskapsteoretiska utgångspunkten för denna studie har varit hermeneutik med induktiv ansats. Datainsamling har skett genom kvalitativa intervjuer som analyserats genom en process i sju stadier. Analysen utgick från studiens syfte och frågeställningar. Författarnas slutsats var att ledarskap i ständig förbättring består av en helhet där basen för att utveckla ett ledarskap i ständig förbättring utgörs av värderingar, kommunikation och reflektioner. Dessutom krävs en balans och ett tydligt samarbete mellan individ, utveckling och system för att göra det möjligt för en chef att bedriva ett ledarskap i ständig förbättring. / The purpose of   the study was to investigate how the relationships between managers in different   leadership positions within an organization affects each other´s ability to   exercise leadership and what conditions enable continuous improvement as a   leader. Research has been limited to leaders in general and does not concern   managers in a particular context or organization. The theory   chapter contains the theoretical context on which the study has been based.   The subject of continuous improvement has been presented and what improvement   skills mean and what conditions are needed for work with continuous   improvement within an organization. After that, a leadership in continuous   improvement has been described. Since literature and research in this area   have been limited, the theory has been based on leadership skills and   leadership development. The last theory chapter has included collaboration   between managers based on relationships and interactions and also structural   behavioural patterns. The interest in   this study focused on the interaction between managers in different positions   and their experiences of the ability to constantly improve their leadership.   Seven managers were interviewed to investigate this based on their own experience   and opportunities to conduct leadership in constant improvement. The theoretical   point of departure for this study has been hermeneutics with an inductive approach.   Data collection has been through qualitative interviews analysed through a   sevenstage process. The analysis was based on the purpose and the questions   of the study. The authors   concluded that leadership in constant improvement consists of a whole where   the basis for developing leadership in continuous improvement is comprised of   values, communication and reflections. In addition, a balance and clear   collaboration between individuals,   development and systems are required to enable a manager to conduct   leadership in continuous improvement. / <p>2017-06-28</p>

I vårt nutida samhälle har ledarskap en stor betydelse i verksamheter eftersom det är viktigt hur ledaren strävar efter ständiga förbättringar och samtidigt kunna leda sina medarbetare genom att nå verksamhetens uppsatta mål. Det gäller bara inte att arbeta med ständiga förbättringar och att en ledare ska leda sina medarbetare inom en verksamhet. En ledare och medarbetare måste också känna sig motiverade att gå till arbetsplatsen och känna att de bidrar med något i verksamheten. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur ledaren arbetar med ständiga förbättringar kopplat till verksamhetens uppsatta mål. I studien tillämpas både en kvalitativ och en kvantitativ metod där ledarna intervjuades och medarbetarna deltog i enkätundersökningar. Studien visar hur ledarna arbetar med ständiga förbättringar kontinuerligt genom att lyfta upp avvikelse, rutiner, mål och fattande beslut tillsammans med medarbetarna i olika mötesforum. Avslutningsvis visade denna studie att det är viktigt att ledarna är lyhörd, arbetar utifrån behov, ger feedback och önskemål för att en skapa en positiv spiral i organisationen långsiktigt vilket också är en ständig förbättring för att nå verksamhetens mål. / Nowadays in our society, leadership has a great importance in organisations because it is important how the leader strives for continuous improvement, while at the same time managing their employees by reaching the organisation's set goals. It just does not apply to only work with continuous improvements and that a leader should manage their employees within an organisation. A leader and employee must also feel motivated to go to the workplace and feel that they contribute something in the organisation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the leader is working with continuous improvements related to the organisation's set goals. The study applies both a qualitative and quantitative method which the leaders were interviewed and the employees participated in questionnaires. The study shows how the leaders continually work with continuous improvement by discussing deviations, routines, goals and taking decisions together with employees in different meeting forums. In conclusion, this study showed that it is important that the leaders are responsive, working according to the needs, giving feedback and desires to create a positive spiral in the organisation in the long term, which is also a continuous improvement to achieve the organisation´s goals. / <p>2017-06-28</p>

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Brian P. Niehoff / This thesis is the tool for moving companies to the next level in safety. I believe through this plan we can keep people safe in the agribusiness industry. This is very important, so that we can keep cost down and be able to stay in business; or avoid costly litigation / arbitration hearings because someone was injured on the job. When I was hired my job was to develop procedures that meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, reduced injuries, and would be a continuous improvement type of program. The thesis will be introductory information in regards to safety followed by a sample safety manual that I have created by working with different safety professional in the safety industry.

The research question addressed in this research concerned the extent to which internally developed quality assurance processes are effective in the promotion and enhancement of quality in education and training programmes in business with special reference to adult literacy. The aim of the research was to explore the presence of and the need for a possible implementation of effective quality assurance processes in education and training in business. It also aimed at seeking for answers to the following questions: -- Do education and training programmes in business have effective quality assurance processes in place for the promotion and enhancement of quality? -- Do education and training programmes in business embrace best practice principles for continuous quality improvement? A literature review, interviews and questionnaires were the instruments employed for the collection of data. Through these research instruments, better insight into the concepts of ‘quality’ and ‘quality assurance’ was obtained. From the literature review, it emerged that the implementation of best practice principles borrowed from industry in education and training programmes can play a crucial role in continuous improvement. In contrast, it emerged from the empirical investigation results that no effective quality assurance processes are applied in education and training in business in South Africa. Business appeared not to be taking a holistic approach to quality assurance and management was found to be ignoring important aspects, such as human resources development, partnership and/or similar issues that need attention if quality is to be holistically promoted and enhanced. In conclusion, a few recommendations that could contribute to quality promotion and enhancement in education and training were made. These were the implementation of a market-related remuneration strategy or competency-based pay, a retention strategy, a quality assurance training programme, Total Quality Management, a Balanced Scorecard, recognition and incentive scheme, a performance appraisal system and the involvement of line managers and union representatives in the management of education and training programmes in business. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The evaluation report section describes the evaluation of the implementation of Mercedes Benz Production System (MPS) at Mercedes Benz Commercial Vehicles, which is a division of Mercedes Benz South Africa’s manufacturing plant situated in East London. The section evaluates the changes the implementation of MPS brought to the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’S) of the division and evaluates the change readiness of the employees in the division prior to the change. The change implementation was initiated by the management of MBCV as a strategic organisational change to bring about continuous improvement to the KPI’s of the organisation. These KPI’s are Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost and Morale (SQDCM). The reason behind the change at the time was deemed critical to MBCV in order to meet the annual KPI targets and remain cost competitive and sustainable. The evaluation report further describes the results of the change with regards to the organisational KPI’s and the level of employee change readiness which was conducted through a questionnaire survey. A brief literature review is included in the Evaluation Report under section one describing key concepts about Production Systems, Lean Manufacturing and Change Management. The evaluation section includes recommendations based on the results of the research findings and ends with a conclusion. The literature review section explores the literature that supports production systems, lean manufacturing and change management concepts, its definitions, importance and benefits. The literature review describes and critiques key concepts of the research such as productions systems, MPS in particular, lean manufacturing concepts and related change management topics relevant to the research. The literature review defines production systems and the concepts of lean manufacturing, highlighting the benefits of the concepts to enhance organisations’ manufacturing capabilities. An integrated part of lean manufacturing is people and the implementation of lean manufacturing into an organisation requires change management theories therefore key understanding in this particular research was to discuss change management concepts, in particular, employee change readiness. The literature will discuss different tools to assess employee change readiness and from this develop an employee change readiness tool. The change management concepts evaluated change readiness and the consequences if organisations are not ready for change. The research methodology section describes how that the research was conducted in two phases, one to evaluate the implementation of MPS with regards to the organisational KPI’s (SQDCM). This was assessed through reports from projects and presentations made by the project teams on improvements of the organisational KPI’s. The second phase evaluated the change readiness of the employees prior to the implementation of MPS. This phase of the research was intended to retrieve quantitative data with an adapted questionnaire which was distributed to employees. To evaluate the change readiness, a change model known as ADKAR was used as an evaluation instrument. The modified ADKAR questionnaire was distributed to employees in hard copies and completed during a weekly team meeting. The results were summarised and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the final results. Microsoft Excel (2010 version) was used to illustrate and display the graphs. Section three discussed the research methodology in more detail. The study shows that although there were some positive changes that came from the implementation of MPS in MBCV, especially to the following KPI’s (Safety, Quality, Delivery and Cost), real consideration should be given to employee morale and the level of change readiness of MBCV employees.

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system was used as a basis for describing a methodology for the management of reproduction in small ruminant flocks. The seven principles of the HACCP system are: <ul> 1. Conduct a hazard analysis 2. Identify critical control points 3. Establish critical limits for each control point 4. Establish monitoring procedure 5. Establish corrective actions 6. Establish a record keeping procedure 7. Establish verification procedures. </ul> The first principle of HACCP requires a description of the production system. The small ruminant reproduction process was subdivided into four sub-processes with a total of 33 phases. The ewe management cycle consists of 12 phases and the ram management cycle, replacement ewe cycle and replacement ram cycle each consists of seven phases. The reproductive process was described by a flow diagram. The hazards were categorized as management, environmental, nutritional, genetic, predatory, physiological and disease factors that could affect reproductive performance. The second principle requires the establishment of Critical Control Points (CCP). Seventeen CCPs in the reproductive process were established and monitoring and diagnostic procedures for each of the critical control points was described together with suggested corrective actions. The resulting HACCP plan formed the basis of consultations with 30 commercial small stock enterprises. Each of the Critical Control Points was applied to at least three and up to 30 of the flocks over the period of the trial to establish the practicality and validity of the procedures which were described as standard operating procedures. Data forms were designed for the structured collection of data regarding the process as well as the CCPs. The Critical Control Points and forms that were selected in this project were as follows: <ul> <li> CC1. Ewe selection. Prior to Ewe preparation. Ewe selection data form</li> <li> CC2.Ram selection. Prior to Phase two of ram preparation. Ram selection data form</li> <li> CC3. Ewe preparation. Prior to start of mating (end of flushing period). Ewe preparation data form</li> <li> CC4. Ram preparation. Prior start of mating (end of flushing period). Ram preparation data form</li> <li> CC5. Joining. Start of mating period. Joining data form</li> <li> CC6. Mating. End of mating period. Mating data form</li> <li> CC7. Scan. >35 days after mating. Scan data form</li> <li> CC8. Rescan. ≥ 30 days after initial scanning. Rescan data form</li> <li> CC9. Pregnant. Prior to start of lambing. Pregnancy management data form</li> <li> CC10. Lambing. End of lambing period. Lambing data form</li> <li> CC11. Marking. After neonatal period. Marking data form</li> <li> CC12. Weaning. Separation of lambs from ewes. Weaning data form</li> <li> CC13. Ewe replacement. At ewe selection. Replacement maiden data form</li> <li> CC14. Ram replacement. At ram selection. Replacement ram data form</li> <li> CC15. Genital soundness. Prior to ram selection. Ram genital soundness data form</li> <li> CC16. Ram recovery. About 8 weeks after mating. Ram recovery data form</li> <li> CC17. Last day of lambing. About 146 days after end of joining. Last day of lambing data form.</li> </ul> In addition to the specific procedures described in the seventeen CCP's three CCP's were described that can be performed to assist in monitoring the general health and welfare of the flock at strategic points in the management cycle: <ul> <li> CC 18 Body condition score</li> <li> CC 19 Helminthic status</li> <li> CC 20 Nutritional status.</li> </ul> Qualitative aspects of the critical control point as well as certain quality control questions were described as a generic quality control form. This generic form is modified annually to reflect hazard issues that need to be followed up the following year. Specific questions are entered on the form which is diarised for the next year. The use of these generic forms assisted in the process of continuous improvement by ensuring that adjustments to the Flock Health and Production Plan are made to prevent repeating management failures. Examples of the use of the CCP's are described on the basis of data that was collected from the flocks that participated in the project. Upon conclusion a questionnaire was completed by 12/25 of the flock managers who participated. The results of the survey indicated that there was general acceptance of a HACCP – based management system for the management of reproduction in the small ruminant enterprises by the flock managers that responded to the questionnaire. Flock managers agreed that the program must be adapted to their individual needs, would not be a problem to implement but needed to be simple and many would need assistance. Training and information was considered important aspects. There was general consensus that financial results should form part of the program and that comparisons within the group on an anonymous basis is accepted. The two responses that showed the least variance were the needs to reduce production risk and to be informed of potential hazards. Flock managers disagreed the most in their response about the range of control points they would implement. This correlates with the expressed need to have individually adapted programs. Flock managers were not very positive about the benefits of a quality control and certification system. Predation proved to be the most important hazard followed by parasites and stock theft, all three being highly variable as indicated by a large variance. The HACCP-based methodology should be applied in and extended form to all aspects of the flock production system to assist in improving sustainability. Copyright / Dissertation (MMedVet)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Production Animal Studies / unrestricted

La Résolution de Problèmes est l'un des piliers des stratégies d'amélioration continue des entreprises. Dans ce cadre, un certain nombre des méthodes ont réussi à démontrer son efficacité pour adresser des problèmes particulièrement complexes. Parmi ces méthodes, on peut distinguer le PDCA, le DMAICS, le 7Steps et le 8D/9S. Pourtant, l'apparition des réseaux distribuées de partenaires, ainsi que le positionnement du concept d'entreprise étendue, ont obligé les entreprises à aller au-delà de ses frontières pour travailler en synergie avec tous les partenaires en amont et en aval de sa chaîne. Dans ce contexte, l'efficacité de ces méthodes de résolution des problèmes a été fortement impactée. Ceci car non seulement les problèmes, mais aussi les produits, les partenaires, les ressources et l'information nécessaires pour sa résolution sont extrêmement fragmentés et décentralisés. Cette thèse s'intéresse donc à la résolution collaborative de problèmes au sein des chaînes distribuées de partenaires et son objectif est de proposer un processus et une méthodologie adaptés à ces contextes. Les propositions faites prennent en compte les aspects techniques (e.g. la modélisation des flux et la configuration de la chaîne) ainsi que les aspects collaboratifs (e.g. le niveau de confiance et/ou le rapport de pouvoir entre les partenaires) que conditionnent l'opération et l'efficacité du réseau. Finalement, cette thèse s'intéresse à l'articulation d'un système de retour d'expérience dans la résolution de problèmes distribués afin d'améliorer son efficacité. / The Problem Solving Process is a central element of the firms' continuous improvement strategies. In this framework, a number of approaches have succeeded to demonstrate their effectiveness to tackle industrial problems. The list includes, but is not limited to PDCA, DMAICS, 7Steps and 8D/9S. However, the emergence and increasing emphasis in the supply chains have impacted the effectiveness of those methods to solve problems that go beyond the boundaries of a single firm and, in consequence, their ability to provide solutions when the contexts on which firms operate are distributed. This can be explained because not only the problems, but also the products, partners, skills, resources and pieces of evidence required to solve those problems are distributed, fragmented and decentralized across the network. This PhD thesis deals with the solving of industrial problems in supply chains based in collaboration. It develops a general framework for studying this paradigm, as well as both a generic process and a collaborative methodology able to deal with the process in practice. The proposal considers all the technical aspects (e.g. products modeling and network structure) and the collaborative aspects (e.g. the trust decisions and/or the power gaps between partners) that simultaneously impact the supply chain operation and the jointly solving of problems. Finally, this research work positions the experiential knowledge as a central lever of the problem solving process to contribute to the continuous improvement strategies at a more global level.

This master thesis is devoted to the elements and principles of management. The master thesis deals with the management of field workers of a selected company and subsequent optimization of this procedure. The main aim of master thesis is to optimize the selected decision problem. Based on the analysis of field workers activities is determined significant managerial decision problem. To solve this decision problem is compiled mathematical model and the individual alternative solutions are determined. Based on the individual steps of managerial decision the final recommendations of variant for solving this decision problem is made. The work is devided into two parts, theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part we acquaint ourselves with the problems with the help of scientific literature. The practical part deals with the use of the scientific literature in practice in order to optimize decision-making problem and management field workers of a selected company.