<p>In order to study the <i>effect of production systems</i> aimed at sustainability<i> on product quality</i> and of sensory and non-sensory factors on product acceptance – the effect of farming system, year, milling and baking techniques on the sensory qualities of wheat bread as a model product was investigated using a descriptive test, and the effect of information and values on liking of bread using consumer tests.</p><p>Whole wheat and white breads were baked with wheat grown in six lots in established conventional and organic farming systems in field trails, in two subsequent years for the white bread.</p><p><i>Milling technique</i> influenced flours’ rheology and had greater impact on the sensory qualities of whole wheat bread and on the slice area than did <i>farming system</i> and <i>baking technique</i>. Bread baked with roller-milled wheat was characterized by sweetness, juiciness, compactness and smaller slice area than bread baked with stone-milled wheat, which was characterized by saltiness, deformity and roasted cereals.</p><p>The <i>effect of year </i>on the white bread was greater than the effect of <i>farming system </i>or <i>recipe modification</i>. Bread baked with wheat harvested in 1999 had significantly lower intensities of crumb attributes such as smoothness, juiciness and elasticity, but higher rancid flavour, springiness, compressibility, mastication resistance than bread baked with wheat harvested in 2000. Bread baked with conventional flour had significantly higher juiciness and elasticity than organic bread.</p><p>Image analysis did not show differences in slice area between bread baked with conventionally and organically grown wheat harvested in 1999 compared with 2000. <i>Information</i> affected liking in relation to the type of provided information. Information on organic origin enhanced most liking of bread, particularly for the less liked samples and frequent consumers of organic food. Significantly different <i>values</i> and different specific liking of breads were found among consumer segments. Results linked values and age with “taste”.</p>

In order to study the effect of production systems aimed at sustainability on product quality and of sensory and non-sensory factors on product acceptance – the effect of farming system, year, milling and baking techniques on the sensory qualities of wheat bread as a model product was investigated using a descriptive test, and the effect of information and values on liking of bread using consumer tests. Whole wheat and white breads were baked with wheat grown in six lots in established conventional and organic farming systems in field trails, in two subsequent years for the white bread. Milling technique influenced flours’ rheology and had greater impact on the sensory qualities of whole wheat bread and on the slice area than did farming system and baking technique. Bread baked with roller-milled wheat was characterized by sweetness, juiciness, compactness and smaller slice area than bread baked with stone-milled wheat, which was characterized by saltiness, deformity and roasted cereals. The effect of year on the white bread was greater than the effect of farming system or recipe modification. Bread baked with wheat harvested in 1999 had significantly lower intensities of crumb attributes such as smoothness, juiciness and elasticity, but higher rancid flavour, springiness, compressibility, mastication resistance than bread baked with wheat harvested in 2000. Bread baked with conventional flour had significantly higher juiciness and elasticity than organic bread. Image analysis did not show differences in slice area between bread baked with conventionally and organically grown wheat harvested in 1999 compared with 2000. Information affected liking in relation to the type of provided information. Information on organic origin enhanced most liking of bread, particularly for the less liked samples and frequent consumers of organic food. Significantly different values and different specific liking of breads were found among consumer segments. Results linked values and age with “taste”.

The aim of this study was to evaluate employee commitment to achieve the primary objective, which was to evaluate employee commitment towards product and process quality. Employees who are engaged in their work and committed to their organisations give companies crucial competitive advantages – including higher productivity, better quality products and lower employee turnover. A thorough literature study was conducted by using the views of different authors and combining them. The concept of quality was defined by making use of the five quality gurus; Deming, Juran, Feigenbaum, Crosby and Ishikawa. The fourteen principles of quality, developed by Deming, were presented in Table 2.1. These principles had the goal of increased productivity, with less rework, less waste of manpower and material resources, resulting in a reduction of costs, to in turn give the organisation greater market share and ultimately better competitive position, by improving the overall quality of an organisation’s work processes. The concept of employee and organisational commitment was defined, and from this study it is evident that employee commitment towards the company is positive and therefore should have a positive effect on their operating environment. The product process flow for this manufacturing concern were discussed to give an overall view of the production processes used in this organisation. An empirical study was completed using a questionnaire survey to determine employee commitment at a manufacturing concern in Gauteng. The questionnaire used for this study was designed to focus on commitment towards internal quality only, to specifically evaluate employee perspective towards product quality, as well as the commitment towards the organisation. Analysis of the responses showed the questionnaire to be reliable and valid. Respondents indicated that they are committed towards the organisation in general across all constructs, but a lack in management trust was a predominant sentiment. The quantitative analysis showed that after a factor analysis was done on the two sections of the questionnaire, four factors for each section were considered as meaningful. These factors were: Affinity, quality awareness, autonomy and corporate image (employee commitment - section B) and employee commitment, task performance, job satisfaction and contextual performance (company relationship – section C). This indicated strong employee commitment towards the organisation. The qualitative results had four areas that all respondents felt needed some attention, and loaded negative towards the organisation. These were HR (trust in management, competency, communication and company culture), skills development, employee development and BBBEE. Thus, drawing conclusions from quantitative results alone could give a company a false sense of employee commitment towards the company and therefore overlook the importance of the roles that employees play in executing strategic plans. Conclusions regarding the findings of the research study were presented and recommendations for this organisation were made. These recommendations are merely a guideline that correlates directly to the empirical analysis made. The research study was evaluated against the primary and secondary objectives with the conclusion that both were achieved. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The aim of this study was to evaluate employee commitment to achieve the primary objective, which was to evaluate employee commitment towards product and process quality. Employees who are engaged in their work and committed to their organisations give companies crucial competitive advantages – including higher productivity, better quality products and lower employee turnover. A thorough literature study was conducted by using the views of different authors and combining them. The concept of quality was defined by making use of the five quality gurus; Deming, Juran, Feigenbaum, Crosby and Ishikawa. The fourteen principles of quality, developed by Deming, were presented in Table 2.1. These principles had the goal of increased productivity, with less rework, less waste of manpower and material resources, resulting in a reduction of costs, to in turn give the organisation greater market share and ultimately better competitive position, by improving the overall quality of an organisation’s work processes. The concept of employee and organisational commitment was defined, and from this study it is evident that employee commitment towards the company is positive and therefore should have a positive effect on their operating environment. The product process flow for this manufacturing concern were discussed to give an overall view of the production processes used in this organisation. An empirical study was completed using a questionnaire survey to determine employee commitment at a manufacturing concern in Gauteng. The questionnaire used for this study was designed to focus on commitment towards internal quality only, to specifically evaluate employee perspective towards product quality, as well as the commitment towards the organisation. Analysis of the responses showed the questionnaire to be reliable and valid. Respondents indicated that they are committed towards the organisation in general across all constructs, but a lack in management trust was a predominant sentiment. The quantitative analysis showed that after a factor analysis was done on the two sections of the questionnaire, four factors for each section were considered as meaningful. These factors were: Affinity, quality awareness, autonomy and corporate image (employee commitment - section B) and employee commitment, task performance, job satisfaction and contextual performance (company relationship – section C). This indicated strong employee commitment towards the organisation. The qualitative results had four areas that all respondents felt needed some attention, and loaded negative towards the organisation. These were HR (trust in management, competency, communication and company culture), skills development, employee development and BBBEE. Thus, drawing conclusions from quantitative results alone could give a company a false sense of employee commitment towards the company and therefore overlook the importance of the roles that employees play in executing strategic plans. Conclusions regarding the findings of the research study were presented and recommendations for this organisation were made. These recommendations are merely a guideline that correlates directly to the empirical analysis made. The research study was evaluated against the primary and secondary objectives with the conclusion that both were achieved. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T14:53:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 parte1.pdf: 1598057 bytes, checksum: d46e0b575216243b718165b9a84a7b57 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-09-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Technological and organizational improvements are directly related to highly competitive market in all sectors. When there s a high competitiveness model, priority is given to the highest quality and therefore quality management. Quality in this scenario is not a term restricted to the finished product, but regards to the whole transformational process of inputs and applying process transforming resources, directly including the human factor, whose participation tends to be more significant, the more intensive the processes become. This study aims to discuss how human performance contributes to the quality of products in an industry notoriously labor-intensive: the footwear industry of the state of Paraiba (PB). The most significant contribution comprises the organizations, because the analysis presented aims to bring to the attention of the managers that such phenomena occur and, more importantly, how they occur. To this end, an adaptation was proposed of the Likert Scale, which allows the classification of a situation viewed as alarming, worrying, reasonable or regular, good, and excellent or great. Moreover, it proposes dimensions, variables and indicators which address the essential requirements to achieve the goals (Quality, Human Performance Factors, and Influence on Human Performance) and questionnaires, which were applied to the managers and workers belonging to a footwear company, located in Campina Grande - PB. Further to this instrument, an on-site non-participatory observation was used as a tool for gathering further information. The results show that both, workers and managers understand the importance of the former for end product quality. However, there are significant differences of thoughts. This points to the need of aligning the thought of managers and workers more accurately, in order to improve performance in accomplishing activities, leading ultimately to: rise in quality and productivity, better profitability, and compliance with deadlines. / Os avanços tecnológicos e organizacionais estão diretamente conectados a alta competitividade do mercado em todos os setores. Neste modelo de alta competitividade, prioriza-se a qualidade absoluta e, por conseguinte, a gestão da qualidade. O termo qualidade nesse cenário não se restringe ao produto acabado, mas a todo o processo de transformação de insumos e a aplicação dos recursos transformadores do processo, incluindo diretamente o fator humano, cuja participação tende a ser mais significativa quanto mais intensivos são os processos. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo discutir como o desempenho humano contribui com a qualidade dos produtos em um setor reconhecidamente intensivo em mão de obra: o setor calçadista do Estado da Paraíba. Sua contribuição mais significativa abrange as organizações, pois as análises apresentadas visam mostrar aos seus gestores que tais fenômenos ocorrem e, mais importante, como eles ocorrem. Neste intuito, foi proposta uma adaptação da Escala de Likert, que permite a classificação de uma situação visualizada como: alarmante; preocupante; razoável ou regular; boa; e excelente ou ótima. Além disso, propõemse dimensões, variáveis e indicadores que abordam os requisitos essenciais do objetivo (Qualidade, Desempenho Humano e Fatores de Influência sobre o Desempenho Humano) e questionários, que foram aplicados junto a gestores e operários pertencentes a uma empresa calçadista, localizada no município de Campina Grande PB. Além deste instrumento, uma observação não participativa in loco foi utilizada como instrumento de coleta de informações adicionais. Os resultados encontrados demonstram que tanto operários como gestores compreendem a importância dos primeiros à qualidade, porém há diferenças expressivas de pensamentos. Isso denota a necessidade de alinhar mais precisamente pensamentos de gestores e operários, com a finalidade melhorar o desempenho no exercício de atividades; acarretando em última análise: em elevação da qualidade, produtividade, atendimento de prazos e lucratividade.

Em indústria de alimentos são aplicados máquinas e equipamentos para processamento de alimentos, os quais exigem lubrificação para garantir seu pleno estado de funcionamento. Porém o mesmo lubrificante que auxilia o funcionamento do maquinário é considerado um risco potencial de contaminação do produto em suas etapas de processamento, vindo a interferir em sua qualidade. Além deste fator, uma inadequada gestão do processo de lubrificação de máquinas e equipamentos podem gerar eventos de falhas, impactando na disponibilidade e confiabilidade operacional do sistema industrial como todo. O objeto da pesquisa desenvolvida nesta tese de doutorado é o desenvolvimento de um método de seleção de política de lubrificação industrial centrada em confiabilidade voltada especificamente para maquinário empregado na fabricação de alimentos, e visa analisar os eventos de falhas ocorridos no maquinário, os quais relacionados com o processo de lubrificação industrial, bem como, a relação das atividades de lubrificação na geração de foco de potencial risco que propicie perda de qualidade e inocuidade do produto. O método é estruturado na identificação das variáveis envolvidas no processo de lubrificação industrial e análise de seus impactos sobre a geração de eventos de falhas e potencial foco de risco de perda de qualidade e inocuidade do produto, Esta análise visa direcionar a tomada de decisão quanto a estrutura da política de lubrificação industrial adequada a cada ativo industrial instalado na indústria de alimentos. A validação do método de seleção de política de lubrificação centrada em confiabilidade deu-se através da aplicação de sua metodologia em um sistema reparável, uma máquina cobrideira, instalada em uma indústria de alimentos, localizada na região metropolitana de Curitiba. A análise estatística do comportamento da tendência de falhas neste ativo industrial conjuntamente com a análise funcional dos modos de falhas relacionados com o processo de lubrificação industrial, possibilitou estruturar uma política de lubrificação industrial adequada para máquina cobrideira. Esta política de lubrificação contempla ações que resultaram no aumento de produtividade anual da máquina cobrideira em 0,16%, isto significa 280.830 unidades (equivalente a 7,02 toneladas) produzidas a mais no ano de 2014 em relação a 2013, e na melhoria dos indicadores de desempenho de manutenção e disponibilidade operacional da máquina cobrideira. Além disto, a aplicação do método desenvolvido estruturou procedimentos de modo de execução e monitoramento das atividades de lubrificação, os quais visam garantir a qualidade do produto durante as etapas de fabricação conjuntamente com a melhoria de desempenho e produtividade do sistema industrial. / In the food industry, machinery and equipment for food processing are used. They require lubrication to ensure they\'re working properly. However, the same lubricant which assists the operation of the machinery is considered a potential contamination to the product in its processing steps, impacting on their quality. The improper management of the lubrication process of machinery and equipment may lead to fault events, impacting on the availability and operational reliability of the industrial system as a whole. The research object developed in this doctorate thesis shows the development of a selection method of an industrial lubrication policy focused on reliability. Such policy is designed specifically for machinery used in the manufacture of foods. It analyzes the failure events in the machinery due to the lubrication process and. It also analyzes the connection between the lubricating activities and the potential risk of loss product quality and safety. The method is structured to identify the variables involved in the industrial lubrication process and analyzes their impact they have on fault events and potential source of risk of product quality loss. This analysis aims to guide decision-making regarding the structure of the adequate industrial lubrication policy to each industrial asset installed in the food industry. The validation of the lubrication policy selection method focused on reliability occurred through the application of its methodology in a repairable system, a coating machine, installed in a food industry located in the metropolitan region of Curitiba. The statistical analysis of the fault trend behavior in this industrial asset together with the functional analysis of failure modes related to the industrial lubrication process made it possible to structure a suitable policy for the industrial lubrication of the coating machine. This lubrication policy includes actions that resulted in the increase of the annual productivity of the coating machine by 0.16%. It means 280,830 more units (equivalent to 7.02 tons) were produced in 2014 than in 2013. It also improved the maintenance performance indicators and the operational availability of the coating machine. Furthermore, the application of the method structured procedures of execution mode and monitoring of lubrication activities. The aim was to ensure the quality of the product during the manufacturing steps together with the improvement of the performance and productivity of the industrial system.

nÃo hà / O estudo da lealdade de uma marca permite que as empresas que atuam no varejo possam desenvolver estratÃgias assertivas para manter clientes atuais e atrair novos consumidores. Partindo deste pressuposto, a presente pesquisa tem por objetivo principal analisar a diferenÃa da relaÃÃo entre a lealdade de marca e os atributos de compra de confecÃÃo infantil em lojas especializadas e lojas de fÃbrica. Como forma de analisar essa relaÃÃo, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa quantitativa, composta de 20 variÃveis relacionadas aos atributos da relaÃÃo preÃo qualidade, qualidade do produto e atmosfera de loja. A amostra do estudo foi composta de 201 mulheres, consumidores e compradoras da marca pesquisa. Os dados da pesquisa foram coletados em novembro de 2013 e submetidos a testes estatÃsticos de anÃlise fatorial e regressÃo mÃltipla. A partir dos testes estatÃsticos, foi identificado que, dos 20 itens pesquisados, os atributos com maior relaÃÃo com a lealdade de marca sÃo: imagem da loja, diferenciaÃÃo do produto, produto melhor que a concorrÃncia, acabamento do produto e relaÃÃo preÃo-qualidade / The study of the loyalty of a mark allows companies operating in retail can develop assertive strategies to retain current customers and attract new consumers. Under this assumption, the present study has as its main objective to analyze the difference of the relationship between brand loyalty and purchase attributes of infant clothing at specialty stores and factory outlets. In order to analyze this relationship, a quantitative survey was developed, consisting of 20 variables related to the attributes of value for money, product quality and store atmosphere. The study sample consisted of 201 women, consumers and buyers of brand research. The survey data was collected in November 2013 and submitted to statistical tests of factor analysis and multiple regression. From the statistical tests, it was identified that, of the 20 items surveyed, attributes more related to the brand loyalty are: store image, product differentiation, product better than the competition, product workmanship and value for mon

This thesis consists of four independent essays that deal with several measurement aspects within the field of international trade. The measurement problems addressed are related to measuring the human capital content of trade in exports relative to imports or measuring tax evasion Essay 1, The Human Capital Content of Trade and its Measurement. Evidence from Swedish Data, deals with various measurement problems related to calculations of the human capital content of trade in exports relative to imports. This builds on the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek extension to the Heckscher-Ohlin trade theory. Essay 2, Product Quality Adjustment and the Human Capital Content of Trade. A New Computational Framework, builds on the same theoretical background, but introduces a quality-adjustment in the calculations of the human capital content of trade in exports relative to imports, which builds on the idea underlying vertical intra-industry trade (VIIT). Quality adjustment is performed, first, by assuming that a product sold at a higher price has a higher quality than the same product sold at a lower price and, second, by assuming that a highquality product implies a higher content of skilled labour than a low-quality product. Essay 3, Estimation of commodity-by-commodity input–output matrices, focuses on a new method in constructing symmetric input-output tables (SIOTs), which has been termed the Bohlin and Widell model, using data contained within supply- and use-tables (SUTs). One key contribution is that it makes it possible to estimate SIOTs in cases when the underlying SUTs are rectangular. The method also addresses the problem of negative coefficients, a long-standing issue encountered in the derivation of SIOTs. Essay 4, Tax evasion in Kenya and Tanzania: Evidence from missing imports, focuses on estimating the amount of tax evasion in trade between Kenya and Tanzania. The study is empirically focused, and the measurement errors in reported trade flows between both countries are correlated with tax rates, to determine whether the measurement error increases with the tax rate.

Orientador: Miguel Juan Bacic / Dissertação (mestrado profissional) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T02:12:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vannucci_JoaoCarlosPiedade_M.pdf: 266701 bytes, checksum: 10ee6b7ec000accb8cfc088a830a6efc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004 / Resumo: As normas ISO 9000, constituindo o guia mais adequado para estabelecer, manter e documentar um Sistema de Qualidade formalizado em empresas de países economicamente expressivos, têm sido o tema de vários estudos e artigos em revistas especializadas. Acredita-se que parte do seu sucesso se deva ao fato de o Sistema da Qualidade ser passível de certificação por um organismo independente. Tal certificação pode indicar que a firma adota um mínimo de controle em seus processos produtivos, podendo gerar bens e serviços. Porém, fica uma questão controversa: a certificação traz ganhos para as empresas certificadas? Este trabalho procura estabelecer uma ligação entre a certificação e a performance empresarial, investigando as pequenas indústrias químicas paulistas que se certificaram nas normas ISO 9000. Dados financeiros públicos de empresas certificadas e não certificadas foram usados para testar a hipótese. Os resultados aqui obtidos podem auxiliar as empresas e os estudiosos do assunto, na sua decisão sobre as vantagens ou desvantagens da certificação / Abstract: ISO 9000 procedures, the most popular indicator to establish, upkeep and document a quality system at almost any company worldwide, have been discussed in many studies and articles in related magazines. Part of its success may be due to the fact that the quality system procedure can be certified by an independent organization. ISO 9000 would show that those certified companies have a certain control over their productive process, and may offer high quality goods and services. However, there still remains a controversy: does ISO 9000 actually bring profits to those certified companies? This essay is to establish a connection between the Certificate itself and certified companies¿ results, focusing on small chemical industries in the state of São Paulo that have adopted ISO 9000 procedures. Public financial data from both certified and non-certified companies were used to verify the hypothesis. The results obtained here may help related researchers and companies, on their decision about whether or not the Certificate brings more advantages / Mestrado / Gestão da Qualidade Total / Mestre Profissional em Engenharia Mecanica

The master's thesis deals with the quality of software products focusing on usability of these products and methods of its measurement. The thesis resumes the definitions of quality from different sources and quality models according to available standards. It also describes usability in detail and methods and metrics for its measurement and analyses current situation in this field. In the thesis the tool for measuring usability of desktop software products was designed and implemented.