Sustainable development is now being recognised as a vital component of our society in the environmental, ethical, social, technological, economic, and institutional aspects, or dimensions, so, this thesis develops a framework to quantitatively measure sustainability. This thesis is distinctive in that it focuses on quantitative methods encapsulated in a formal assessment procedure and includes sustainability concepts that have rarely been put into practical use in sustainability reports. The framework is designed along the strategy that the methodology needs to be scale invariant and recursive, meaning the procedure is the same irrespective of the scale the user is interested in, and that different people can focus at different levels of sustainability by following a similar procedure. While the quantification process is aimed to be as unbiased as possible, a configuration of the tools from Total Quality Management (TQM) is adapted to identify sustainability indicators which are then mapped onto a scalar with mathematical functions. The sustainability indices are presented according to the amount of details needed by different users ─ some may need just one overall figure while others may need sustainability indices broken down by the six sustainability dimensions and presented on a spider diagram, while others may need all the details for analysis. This methodology also caters for sustainability analysis by different stakeholders. To fully demonstrate the potential of the methodology, the author has chosen to test it on a large-size industry sector so that it can have the capacity to be scaled up to a country or down to a small business, and on an industry sector that is important on its own right. Furthermore, this sector needs to be illustrative and has nontrivial complex problems. Under these criteria, the electricity sector of New Zealand was selected. The robustness of the methodology was investigated with inputs from three evaluators with different views: a standard view from the author that was made after much research in the sector and in the concepts of sustainability, a view with an environmental bias and one that focuses on commercial interests.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of applying Quality Management philosophies and techniques to pathology laboratories. Design: Series of case studies. Setting: Two tertiary referral pathology laboratories in Australian University teaching hospitals. Intervention: Application of Continuous Quality Improvement techniques to complex laboratory processes; Implementation of formal Quality Systems into laboratories; Introduction of a new Laboratory Information System. Measurement: Measurement of changes in key performance indicators. Results: Statistically significant improvements in a variety of key performance indicators, reduction in frequency of incidents, and improvement in surrogate clinical outcomes were achieved using Quality Management approaches in pathology laboratories. Comparison of environments associated with introduction of a new Laboratory Information System identified the presence of a formal Quality System as a key factor associated with superior laboratory performance. Conclusion: Quality Management can be applied successfully to a variety of pathology laboratory environments, and can result in significant improvements in product and service quality. A key success factor in implementing Quality Management may be the introduction of a formal Quality System.

Unexplained variations in organisational performance in healthcare are a continued focus of research, political, and public interest. Regulatory agencies are always seeking new ways to reduce variation and improve performance, and the use of approaches to develop improvement capability is increasingly encouraged. However, the regulatory perspective on improvement capability is under researched. This research study seeks to understand how regulatory agencies in the United Kingdom (UK) assess improvement capability within healthcare organisations. It explores how improvement capability is conceptualised, compares the regulatory arrangements across the UK, and examines assessment and enforcement policies and practices, before developing a conceptual framework for improvement capability. The research study uses data from 48 interviews, 90 regulatory policy documents and 30 assessment reports. Regulatory conceptualisations of improvement capability are explored through cross-case comparison and qualitative analysis. A review of 70 instruments and frameworks for the assessment of improvement capability from the literature identifies that there are plural conceptualisations of improvement capability. The findings from the review are synthesised into eight dimensions of improvement capability which are used to analyse the empirical data and to develop a conceptual framework. The analysis finds an emergent trend towards responsive regulatory models which aim to develop improvement capability. However, the analysis identifies ambiguity in regulatory agencies' conceptualisation of improvement capability with two dimensions of improvement capability used more frequently than others in regulatory assessments. Regulatory agencies need to clarify their conceptualisation of improvement capability and supplement their assessment processes to further understand local circumstances. This can be used to inform more flexible regulatory responses, including the tailored provision of improvement support to develop improvement capability. This requires greater regulatory effort and resources, and the analysis finds there are three areas of tension, linked to regulatory roles, resources and relationships. The research study proposes a conceptual framework of improvement capability that can be used to clarify regulatory conceptualisation and assessment of improvement capability. Greater conceptual clarity will strengthen regulatory agencies' assessment, diagnosis and prediction of organisational performance trajectories, and support the advancement of more appropriate, effective and responsive regulatory interventions, including the development of improvement capability.

As organizações atuais têm grandes desafios, os clientes demandam maiores exigências quanto à qualidade do produto e serviço. É por isso que as organizações têm sido obrigadas a adaptar estratégias de apoio como a gestão da qualidade, para satisfazer as necessidades dos clientes mediante melhoria de seus processos e produtos. A diminuição de falhas dos produtos e antecipação de possíveis erros que possam surgir no processo só pode ser obtida por meio de técnicas capazes de prever erros futuros, sendo a previsão uma delas. Portanto a previsão é o ponto inicial para o planejamento das atividades da empresa, tais como planejamento da produção, vendas, controle de estoque, entre outras. Este estudo investigou a implicação que tem os fatores críticos do Gerenciamento da Qualidade Total no processo de implementação de previsão de demanda. Os resultados mostraram que os fatores críticos de maior importância foram cultura da qualidade, participação de todos os funcionários, gestão dos processos, compromisso da alta gerência, foco no cliente, treinamento dos funcionários e gestão dos fornecedores. Constatou-se que utilizar os fatores críticos pode trazer benefícios como disponibilizar recursos; reduzir o efeito chicote; melhorar o tempo de entrega; aumentar o desempenho das vendas; planejar adequadamente os níveis de estoque e planejar a cadeia de suprimento. / Nowadays companies have big challenges, because current customers ask for a growing personalized treatment and greater demands in terms of quality of product and services. Therefore organizations have been forced to adapt support strategies such as quality management, to satisfy the needs of customers by improving their processes and products. The decrease in product failure and anticipation of possible errors that may arise in the process can only be obtained by techniques able to predict future errors, being the forecast one possibility. This study investigated the relationship of the most relevant critical factors of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the implementation process of demand forecasting. The results show that the most important critical factors were culture of quality, employee participation, process management, commitment of top management, customer focus, training and suppliers management. It was found that the use of the critical factors resulted in benefits as available resources, reduced the bullwhip effect, improved the delivery time, increased sales performance, plan adequate levels of stock and map the supply chain. The Kendall concordance test showed no agreement with respect to benefits for training factors and management of suppliers.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilken uppfattning chefer inom offentlig verksamhet har om kvalitetsarbete och hur chefer inom offentlig verksamhet anser att de gör sina medarbetare delaktiga i verksamhetens kvalitetsarbete. Kvalitetsarbete ses idag som en väl integrerad del i de flesta verksamheter, offentliga som privata. Utgångspunkter i studien är Total quality managment (TQM) och transformativt ledarskap. TQM är ett arbetssätt för kvalitetsarbete vilket är omfattande och bygger på en helhet med fokus på kvalitet från hela organisationen. Flera forskare förespråkar delaktighet som en viktig del i kvalitetsarbete. Vägen till kvalitet och medarbetarnas delaktighet i kvalitetsarbetets kantas av utmaningar. Förutsättningarna i en organisation, specifikt inom offentlig verksamhet är varierande och begränsande. Studien är en kvalitativ studie. Som kvalitativ metod har författarna genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med enhetschefer inom offentlig sektor som respondenter. Författarna har använt sig av ett målstyrt urval. Resultatet visar att kvalitetsarbetet anses viktigt men också svårt då en hel del av de aktiviteter som ingår resulterar i administrativa uppgifter istället för kvalitetsutveckling. Ett närvarande ledarskap är en framgångsfaktor gällande skapandet av medarbetarnas delaktighet i kvalitetsarbetet.

As organizações atuais têm grandes desafios, os clientes demandam maiores exigências quanto à qualidade do produto e serviço. É por isso que as organizações têm sido obrigadas a adaptar estratégias de apoio como a gestão da qualidade, para satisfazer as necessidades dos clientes mediante melhoria de seus processos e produtos. A diminuição de falhas dos produtos e antecipação de possíveis erros que possam surgir no processo só pode ser obtida por meio de técnicas capazes de prever erros futuros, sendo a previsão uma delas. Portanto a previsão é o ponto inicial para o planejamento das atividades da empresa, tais como planejamento da produção, vendas, controle de estoque, entre outras. Este estudo investigou a implicação que tem os fatores críticos do Gerenciamento da Qualidade Total no processo de implementação de previsão de demanda. Os resultados mostraram que os fatores críticos de maior importância foram cultura da qualidade, participação de todos os funcionários, gestão dos processos, compromisso da alta gerência, foco no cliente, treinamento dos funcionários e gestão dos fornecedores. Constatou-se que utilizar os fatores críticos pode trazer benefícios como disponibilizar recursos; reduzir o efeito chicote; melhorar o tempo de entrega; aumentar o desempenho das vendas; planejar adequadamente os níveis de estoque e planejar a cadeia de suprimento. / Nowadays companies have big challenges, because current customers ask for a growing personalized treatment and greater demands in terms of quality of product and services. Therefore organizations have been forced to adapt support strategies such as quality management, to satisfy the needs of customers by improving their processes and products. The decrease in product failure and anticipation of possible errors that may arise in the process can only be obtained by techniques able to predict future errors, being the forecast one possibility. This study investigated the relationship of the most relevant critical factors of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the implementation process of demand forecasting. The results show that the most important critical factors were culture of quality, employee participation, process management, commitment of top management, customer focus, training and suppliers management. It was found that the use of the critical factors resulted in benefits as available resources, reduced the bullwhip effect, improved the delivery time, increased sales performance, plan adequate levels of stock and map the supply chain. The Kendall concordance test showed no agreement with respect to benefits for training factors and management of suppliers.

In the thesis there is described increasing importance of quality and quality management. One of the conception of quality management is Total quality management. The european method of TQM is the Excelence model EFQM. It´s an instrument for complex control of quality. The thesis describes an aplication of the model in ČSÚ and compares the results, which has the organization reached till 2002.

During the last twenty years, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence Models [BEMs] have been very attractive to organisations as an improvement strategy, as there has been a push by governments to encourage this trend in both public and private sector organisations through the development of national quality awards. There remain difficulties in the successful implementation of BEMs, as there have been high implementation failures rates in various industrial settings. It appears that these failures have been the result of a failure to identify key influential factors that might be incorporated into organisations’ BEM implementation guidelines. Therefore, this research attempts to identify the key influential factors for the successful implementation of a BEM and then examines the role of these factors when they are incorporated with the implementation strategy of a BEM in a public sector organisation in the United Arab Emirates, the Abu Dhabi Police. The research takes a mixed-methods approach including a systematic literature review, a questionnaire survey of 300 employees and 25 interviews with top managers and BEM implementation team members in the Abu Dhabi Police. The quantitative data is assessed using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. A paired-samples t-test is used to compare perceptions and the actual presence of key influential factors. Additionally, the correlation between these factors and the implementation efficiency of the BEM is investigated by using a Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis. The interviews are also subjected to thematic analysis. The key findings are that there are 18 key influential factors which significantly impacted on the successful implementation of the BEM in this public sector organisation; therefore they should be considered as a whole during any such implementation. These factors can be grouped into associated stages of commitment, implementation and measurement, leading to the development of a conceptual framework to be used as a roadmap for the implementation of BEMs by public sector organisations.

As organizações atuais têm grandes desafios, os clientes demandam maiores exigências quanto à qualidade do produto e serviço. É por isso que as organizações têm sido obrigadas a adaptar estratégias de apoio como a gestão da qualidade, para satisfazer as necessidades dos clientes mediante melhoria de seus processos e produtos. A diminuição de falhas dos produtos e antecipação de possíveis erros que possam surgir no processo só pode ser obtida por meio de técnicas capazes de prever erros futuros, sendo a previsão uma delas. Portanto a previsão é o ponto inicial para o planejamento das atividades da empresa, tais como planejamento da produção, vendas, controle de estoque, entre outras. Este estudo investigou a implicação que tem os fatores críticos do Gerenciamento da Qualidade Total no processo de implementação de previsão de demanda. Os resultados mostraram que os fatores críticos de maior importância foram cultura da qualidade, participação de todos os funcionários, gestão dos processos, compromisso da alta gerência, foco no cliente, treinamento dos funcionários e gestão dos fornecedores. Constatou-se que utilizar os fatores críticos pode trazer benefícios como disponibilizar recursos; reduzir o efeito chicote; melhorar o tempo de entrega; aumentar o desempenho das vendas; planejar adequadamente os níveis de estoque e planejar a cadeia de suprimento. / Nowadays companies have big challenges, because current customers ask for a growing personalized treatment and greater demands in terms of quality of product and services. Therefore organizations have been forced to adapt support strategies such as quality management, to satisfy the needs of customers by improving their processes and products. The decrease in product failure and anticipation of possible errors that may arise in the process can only be obtained by techniques able to predict future errors, being the forecast one possibility. This study investigated the relationship of the most relevant critical factors of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the implementation process of demand forecasting. The results show that the most important critical factors were culture of quality, employee participation, process management, commitment of top management, customer focus, training and suppliers management. It was found that the use of the critical factors resulted in benefits as available resources, reduced the bullwhip effect, improved the delivery time, increased sales performance, plan adequate levels of stock and map the supply chain. The Kendall concordance test showed no agreement with respect to benefits for training factors and management of suppliers.

The purpose of the study and following thesis is to investigate how employees in a R&D department perceive the product development process. Review of present process documentation aims at identifying potential discrepancies between the process as it is designed and the way it´s used. The company is operating in a regulatory environment and have recently merged with another company. The company is aligning different processes and work teams. The result indicates that the organization will benefit from working with processes with an inclusive approach, i.e. involve employees working in the process. The process studied is a global process i.e. the process is used at multiple sites. This presents challenges for local adaptations. By actively involving employees a common understanding of the challenges can be achieved which will increase engagement and commitment. The organization will also benefit by looking at the organization from a process perspective. Aligning process goals with departmental goals can be achieved by developing processand department strategies based on overall organizational objectives and the organizational context. The underlying principles for the study are the foundations of TQM. Relevant tools, such as the improvement wheel (PDCA) and GAP-analysis, that can be used for business improvements are presented.