Thesis (doctoral)--Oulun Yliopisto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in PDF format from Oulu University.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Zugl.: Montreal, Univ., Diss.

No description available.

The aim of this study was to investigate a productivity measurement at the South African Minting Company and evaluate the relationship between productivity and quality. Special emphasis was given to profit-linked total factor model as the tool for measurement. This was encouraged by their ability to separate productivity, profitability and price recovery. Three models were selected and evaluated. These models American Productivity Center (APC) Model, “Profitability = productivity + price recovery” (PPP) model and multi-factor productivity measurement model (MFPMM). APC model was selected as the suitable model because of its simplicity, easy to set up, its ability to produce both financial and non financial data, and allow for route cause analysis with expert system, and more insight for the manager with Microsoft Excels’ What if analysis “Goal seek”. APC model was set up for four periods, from 1 April 2004 to 30 September 2007. The overall profitability results of the circulation coins profit center show an overall positive contribution. There was a break-even of the price recovery for 2006 financial year (period 2). In 2007 financial year (period 3), there was a negative contribution, and this improved to almost break-even in the six month period during this 2008 financial year (period 4). This means there was much more inflation on input resources and the recovery was not fully realised in the price of goods sold. Individual input costs show that the negative price recovery is culminating from material, labour and energy costs contributions. There is a plausible explanation for material and labour, but not for energy. The metal volatility is the underlying cause of the price variation. Labour variation was a company strategy to adjust employee to higher percentiles. Productivity was always positive with the highest contribution in the current financial year (period 4). This means that the profitability at SA Mint has been driven by productivity in the past two financial years. iv Survey of the questionnaire shows average scores for productivity and quality. It is noteworthy, that the lowest mean score for productivity is for the statement “Products are produced in error-free process”. This is a productivity quality measure. In addition, the same variable shows r2 value of 0.42. A conclusion is that even though productivity and quality are highly correlated and show a highly positive relationship, there is a concern on quality in the company. A link can be made that low price recovery becomes more difficult when the quality is not always good. Defective product is a cost, because the product does not reach the customer and if the product is reworked it is still a cost, though low, but more importantly it decreases the available capacity. This study was successful in setting up APC model and producing data that is worthy to the company and academic world. Finally, this study was successful in its quest to establish the relationship between productivity and quality.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2003. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-137).

The aim of this study was to investigate a productivity measurement at the South African Minting Company and evaluate the relationship between productivity and quality. Special emphasis was given to profit-linked total factor model as the tool for measurement. This was encouraged by their ability to separate productivity, profitability and price recovery. Three models were selected and evaluated. These models American Productivity Center (APC) Model, “Profitability = productivity + price recovery” (PPP) model and multi-factor productivity measurement model (MFPMM). APC model was selected as the suitable model because of its simplicity, easy to set up, its ability to produce both financial and non financial data, and allow for route cause analysis with expert system, and more insight for the manager with Microsoft Excels’ What if analysis “Goal seek”. APC model was set up for four periods, from 1 April 2004 to 30 September 2007. The overall profitability results of the circulation coins profit center show an overall positive contribution. There was a break-even of the price recovery for 2006 financial year (period 2). In 2007 financial year (period 3), there was a negative contribution, and this improved to almost break-even in the six month period during this 2008 financial year (period 4). This means there was much more inflation on input resources and the recovery was not fully realised in the price of goods sold. Individual input costs show that the negative price recovery is culminating from material, labour and energy costs contributions. There is a plausible explanation for material and labour, but not for energy. The metal volatility is the underlying cause of the price variation. Labour variation was a company strategy to adjust employee to higher percentiles. Productivity was always positive with the highest contribution in the current financial year (period 4). This means that the profitability at SA Mint has been driven by productivity in the past two financial years. iv Survey of the questionnaire shows average scores for productivity and quality. It is noteworthy, that the lowest mean score for productivity is for the statement “Products are produced in error-free process”. This is a productivity quality measure. In addition, the same variable shows r2 value of 0.42. A conclusion is that even though productivity and quality are highly correlated and show a highly positive relationship, there is a concern on quality in the company. A link can be made that low price recovery becomes more difficult when the quality is not always good. Defective product is a cost, because the product does not reach the customer and if the product is reworked it is still a cost, though low, but more importantly it decreases the available capacity. This study was successful in setting up APC model and producing data that is worthy to the company and academic world. Finally, this study was successful in its quest to establish the relationship between productivity and quality.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-02-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:50:23Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 defazio_jl_me_botib.pdf: 546001 bytes, checksum: 06636b485244c83b08db7e0a2ab293cf (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A Mentha piperita L., planta aromática da família Lamiaceae, é uma espécie de grande interesse econômico na obtenção de óleos essenciais. Seu óleo é amplamente empregado como aditivo de alimentos, em produtos de higiene bucal e em preparações farmacêuticas. Este estudo objetivou avaliar a influência da variação do nível de cálcio em solução nutritiva, associada à aplicação de ethephon, no desenvolvimento e na produção do óleo essencial de menta. O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação do Departamento de Botânica do Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Botucatu, SP. Para tanto, as plantas foram cultivadas em solução nutritiva no 2 de Hoagland & Arnon, contendo 160 mg L-1 de cálcio e na mesma solução com sua redução para 50%, 80 mg L-1 e 90%, 16 mg L-1 e submetidas à pulverização foliar com 100, 200 e 400 mg L-1 de ethephon, onde permaneceram até as datas de colheitas, realizadas aos 46, 76, 106 e 136 dias após o transplante das mudas para a solução nutritiva. O delineamento foi inteiramente casualizado com doze tratamentos, constituídos por três níveis de cálcio e quatro doses de ethephon, quatro repetições e quatro colheitas. A aplicação do ethephon, via foliar, foi realizada em quatro épocas, com intervalos de 30 dias, tendo início aos 31 dias após transplante das mudas para a solução nutritiva. Em cada colheita foram determinados, o comprimento de parte aérea, a área foliar, a matéria seca de lâminas foliares, de caules mais pecíolos, de raízes e total das plantas. Para a análise de crescimento foram determinados os índices fisiológicos, taxa de crescimento absoluto (TCA), taxa de crescimento relativo (TCR), taxa assimilatória líquida (TAL), razão de área foliar (RAF) e área foliar específica (AFE). / Mentha piperita L., an aromatic plant from Lamiaceae family, is a species with great economic interest for producing essential oils. Its oil is extensively employed as food additive, in products of mouth hygiene and in pharmaceutical formulas. This research aimed to evaluate the influence of the calcium level variation in nutritive solution, associated to ethephon application, on the development and in the essential oil yield of mint. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse at the Bio Science Institute/ Botany Department, UNESP, Botucatu-SP. Thus, all plants were grown in a no 2 Hoagland & Arnon nutritive solution, varying the calcium level in three different proportions: the first group contained the standart level of calcium, of 160 mg L-1 found in this nutritive solution. The second group was grown with Ca2+ reduction in 50%, therefore, 80 mg L-1. The third group was grown with Ca2+ reduction in 90%, therefore, 16 mg L-1. The three groups were submitted to leaf pulverization with 100, 200 and 400 mg L-1 of ethephon. Thus, the plants remained with this treatment until the dates of harvests, which were performed at 46, 76, 106 and 136 days after the transplantation to nutritive solution. The design was completely randomized with twelve treatments constituted of three and four levels of calcium and ethephon, respectively, four replicates and four harvests. The application of ethephon on the leaves first started at the 31st day after the transplantation (DAT) to nutritive solution, and was performed at four epochs, with intervals of 30 days. Shoot length, leaf area, and dry matter of leaf blades, stems plus petioles, roots and total of the plants were determined in each harvest. For growth analysis, it was measured the physiological indexes absolute growth rate (AGR), relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), leaf area ratio (LAR) and specific leaf area (SLA).