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There is currently worldwide interesti n the implementationa nd effectivenesso f the quality management movement in financial service organisations. Especially the effect Total Quality Managemen(tT QM) hasu pon transforminga n industryw hich is in a stateo f considerables tructuralc hangea, nd in which the competitioni s intense. The first stageo f the researchin volves the assessmenot f the statuso f TQM in bankingo rganisationsin the UK and Brazilian financial servicess ector.A questionnaire was used to investigate the perception of branch managers concerning the implementation and majors issues of TQM within the financial services industry in the UK and Brazil. Structured interviews with senior managers in charge of planning and developing the quality initiatives in the organisations surveyed were performed to investigatet he strategiesa ndm odelso f the TQM implementation. The collection of datai n this studyw asc onductedin two parts: (1) In 1995 the fieldwork in the UK was carried out this involved a survey questionnaire with branch managerso f fifteen 11ighS treetf inancial serviceo rganisationsa nd a set of interviewsw ithin two of the organisations urveyed. (2) In 1996 the Brazilian fieldwork was carried out. This involved the survey questionnairew ith branch managerso f ten High Street financial serviceo rganisations and a set of interviewsw ithin seveno f thoseo rganisationss urveyed. The analysis of the data obtained enable the identification of the current approachesto the implementationo f TQM; the effects of TQM in the financial services sector in the UK and Brazil; and the current strategiesa pplied and conceptualm ethods used for implementing TQM in those organisations. The second stage of the research presents the development of a TQM implementation framework employing the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology. This has been designed to assist in the selection and formulation of the most comprehensiveT QM implementationa pproachf or a banking organisationsin both countries. The framework was designed as a proposal document to be used by quality practitioners,t op managerso f organisationsa nd quality managemenrte searcherws ho are implementing TQM.

The role played by the protein UnkG from the plant growth-promoting bacterium Pseudomonas putida UW4 in the ability of the bacterium to facilitate plant growth was studied. Previous work showed that over-expressing UnkG decreased the ability of P. putida UW4 to facilitate plant growth. In contrast, an unkG knock-out mutant of P. putida UW4 displayed an increased ability to promote plant growth. Various biological activities of P. putida UW4, P. putida UW4/pETP and P. putida UW4/pETP-unkG have been compared. Thus, the growth curves were measured; the Biolog™ system was used to test the ability of these strains to utilize various carbon sources; the strains were observed by scanning electron microscopy to assess their relative cell sizes; biochemical assays were conducted to quantify 3-indoleacetic acid production and to measure the enzymatic activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase; proteome-level changes of P. putida UW4/pETP and P. putida UW4/pETP-unkG were profiled using two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE), followed by mass spectrometry identification of the altered proteins. After running DIGE, sixteen altered proteins were identified and their possible roles in the interactions between the bacterium and plants were discussed. Based on the preliminary results, we hypothesize that 1) UnkG may be detrimental to plant growth; 2) UnkG may negatively regulate a number of key cellular functions in a general way related to the energy balance of the bacterium.

This thesis identifies how the IT function can create agility in existing information systems. Agility is the capability to quickly sense and respond to environmental perturbations. This thesis contrasts the agility perspective from a widely used industry framework with research perspectives on agility in the IS literature. Beer’s Viable System Model is a useful meta-level theory to house agility elements from IS research literature and applies cybernetic principles to identify the capabilities required of the IT function. Indeed, a survey of 70 organizations confirms that the meta-level theory better correlates with reported agility measures than existing practice measures do on their own. / There were three stages to the research. First, was conceptually applying the Viable System Model to the concept of agility from IS research literature. The cybernetic model proposed an explanative theory for agility in information systems and prescribed capabilities for the IT function. / The second research stage was a qualitative study with an IT consultancy. Managers and consultants participated in applicability checking the theoretical development to the agility topic. The level of analysis was the client base of an IT consultancy, which consists of approximately 250 Australian organizations. A research deliverable was a joint white paper between the University of Melbourne and the IT consultancy. / The final stage was two quantitative surveys for theory testing. The first survey mailed a Likert-type questionnaire to business and IT managers amongst the IT consultancy’s clients. The second survey invited international members of professional interest groups to complete a web-based questionnaire. The responses from the surveys were analyzed using partial-least-squares modeling and linear regression. The data analysis correlated process maturity of the IT function and the likelihood of agility in existing information systems. The thesis claims to generalize the survey findings to other large organizations in OECD countries. / The thesis offers an agility-capability model for the IT function, which extends IS research with a theory that explains and predicts agility in existing information systems. A further contribution is to improve IT industry ‘best practice’ frameworks by prescribing capabilities to develop.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2006.

Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2008. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed January 15, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-52).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 66 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-61).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1993. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 150-168).

Thesis (M.S.)--Duquesne University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 31) and index.