Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University / Quality control as a concept and working tool in modern industry takes many shapes and forms. It is one of the more recent management tools to be incorporated into the complex manufacturing organizations in present day industry. There are almost as many different working concepts and definitions of quality control as there are industrial organizations. When attempting to define quality control, its purposes and objectives, we can find general agreement on its overall scope. W. A. MacCrehan defines quality as "a planned, continuing effort to maintain product quality in manufacturing". 1 A. V. Feigenbaum of General Electric Co., a noted authority in the field of quality control, goes a step further and defines it, "as an effective system for coordinating the quality maintainance and quality improvement efforts of the various groups in an organization so as to enable production at the most economical levels which allow for full customer satisfaction". These text definitions are generally carried over and incorporated in working company philosophies. The General Tire and Rubber Co. carries the following definition in its corporate manual for quality control: "Quality control is the act of assuring that outgoing product levels meet the established quality levels and of coordinating the activities of all departments in such a manner that established quality levels are maintained at the lowest possible cost" .3 This general concept of quality control, however, takes many varying manifestations when translated into specific working tools for use in the day to day activities of each industrial concern.

Thesis (M.B.A)--Boston University

M.Tech. / This study deals with the measurement of customer service quality in an industrial environment. The concept was to measure service quality and then develop a competitive strategy based on this. The mechanism used is the SERVQUAL model. Subsequently reengineering aspects of customer service based on the findings is proposed as a competitive advantage. The study is diagnostic in nature offering insights on the application of a well researched service quality model in an industrial environment. The study was undertaken due to the necessity and position that the research organisation found itself in. Critical factors, that shaped the business environment contributed to the choice of the research. These being : Change Customers Competitors Michael E. Porter shows, in his book Competitive Advantag, creating and sustaining superior performance, that two competitive advantages can be accessed by most organisations, these being cost leadership and differentiation. Adding to this three generic strategies enable competitive advantage(s) through : Cost leadership (low cost production) Differentiation Focus. Based on the above the first and the last strategy, cost leadership and focus respectively, was not feasible for the organisation. The first strategy failed the sustainability hurdle while the last strategy was not entirely applicable. The answer emanated in differentiating from competitors. It was decided to differentiate on customer service. Research was conducted through questionnaires derived from the SERVQUAL model. The original customer questionnaire was modified to suit the research context, an industrial environment. Primary data was gathered via face to face interviews from a sample of 70 customers and 30 employees inclusive of management. Subsequently data was analysed by the SPSS statistical package. Findings are discussed, supported by tables and figures. The conclusions of this study shows that : o The SERVQUAL model is valid and reliable in an industrial environment. o The customer service as it exists is deficient substantiated by negative SERVQUAL gaps. A reengineering intervention can be applied to specific areas based on the findings. The competitive advantage aspect of reengineering customer service in future using the present gaps asbenchmarks

M.B.A. / Laboratories have historically been required to demonstrate competence to test or calibrate against a scope of accreditation that details specific tests and/or measurements in order to ensure equivalence of technical output. The international standardisation community appears to believe that greater focus on quality system elements will contribute to increased confidence in the work performed by organisations that implement them. Unfortunately, a valid system only guarantees consistent output. The potential danger of laboratory tests that are consistent but wrong is too great to be ignored. These fundamentally conflicting philosophies of competence versus compliance are now being combined into one document, the recent revision of ISOIIEC Guide 25 into the ISOIIEC FDIS 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. In preparing for the change to the new standard, smaller laboratories are faced with a potential disproportionate increase in documentation requirements even though their demonstrated competence is already accepted internationally. The primary aim of this research is to determine if there are differences between implementation of the revised standard in a smaller laboratory to that of the larger laboratory that should be considered in order to ensure that the smaller facility is not subject to a potential technical barrier to trade. As part of the research, a questionnaire was created and distributed to test assumptions about the current knowledge of quality requirements within laboratories, the value obtained to date with implementing such systems and the ability of the laboratory staff to cope with more in-depth or any additional quality criteria that might be introduced...

published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Public Health

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration in Project Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019. / This study focussed on the evaluation of quality management at one of the selected South African freight rail construction projects. Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) was selected for its high rate of accidents and injuries that happen on daily basis which affect the company’s operations and profits. The study’s approach was to obtain as much as possible opinions from local and international experts on quality management in construction projects. The opinions were gathered through a number of official journals on the best practices for quality management, comparing all of these practices to that of TFR in order to conclude whether the need for improvement or the change in practicing quality is required. The mixed − method approach was employed, to gather more and accurate data. The strengths of qualitative research approach can make up for the weaknesses of the quantitative research approach, this was the reason why mixed − method was chosen. The targeted population of this study included the internal stakeholders such as quality assurance officers, project managers, project coordinators and project team members. This targeted population was able to provide the accurate information as they are directly involved in the execution of the projects in terms of quality management of the project. A questionnaire was developed and employed as a tool to gather data to satisfy the research questions. This study was a case study because it only focused on TFR Iron Ore line projects. The focus was that, within TFR Iron Ore line, only those who are affected directly by the above mentioned projects were interviewed. The study has revealed that the Total Quality Assurance measures are being ignored at TFR, such as unscheduled quality tours, quality audits, quality control routines, random sampling of errors and record seen defects, and quality monitoring throughout the project life cycle.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. Directed by Paul H. Kvam. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-113).