The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) is implemented in schools in the Libode education district. The study focused on the existence of IQMS documents as evidence or proof that IQMS is being implemented. In addition, the study looked at the existence and functionality of structures and processes for the implementation of IQMS in the selected schools. Lastly, the study focused on the deliverables and outcomes arising out of the implementation of IQMS in schools. The pragmatic paradigm and the case study design were used to frame and focus the research. Data was obtained from sixty (60) educators who were surveyed, principals of the three (3) selected schools, and three (3) Education District Officials (EDOs) selected on purpose for interviews. Data thus obtained was analysed both quantitatively using descriptive statistics, and qualitatively through extraction of themes. The study draws conclusions on findings based on the attendance of IQMS workshops meant to capacitate teachers on the conceptualisation and practice of IQMS; the availability and quality of IQMS workshops; understanding of IQMS processes by teachers and the officials; IQMS evaluation processes underwent by teachers; alignment between School Improvement Plans and the District Improvement Plan, and the connection between individual growth and school improvement; the constitution and functioning of IQMS structures; and the form and content of IQMS deliverables and outcomes. This research makes recommendations for IQMS implementation and further research.

The study sought to investigate problems encountered by educators in the implementation of IQMS in selected schools in the Butterworth Education District. The study emerged out of an agreement reached by the Department of Education, Education Labour Relation Council, unions and stakeholders (ELRC, 2003) that Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) be a developmental programme for quality performance in teaching and learning in public schools. The programme was based on the merging of three programmes, namely the Developmental Appraisal System (DAS), Performance Management System (PMS) and Whole School Evaluation (WSE) which were integrated in the implementation of IQMS (Resolution No.8 of 2003).The first three programmes, DAS, PMS and WSE, were less effective and had some flaws that caused implementers (educators) not to accept them as performance developmental programmes as they were punitive and judgmental. The researcher was interested in investigating those problems encountered by the educators in the implementation of IQMS. The study employed a qualitative research methodology with a qualitative survey design. Structured interviews were used to collect data. Five (5) schools out of three hundred and twenty five schools (325) in the Butterworth Education District were conveniently selected. From each school a sample of five (5) educators was purposively selected according to their duty lines on the IQMS structures, i.e. principal, school coordinator and three educators, for the purpose of getting relevant information from each level. Some of the main findings of the study were: the duration of the training was too short; unclear roles and responsibilities of role-players resulted in non-implementation of the programme; attachment of incentive to the programme made educators to focus on the incentives rather than on the programme and the heavy workload of educators hindered the implementation of IQMS. The researcher recommended that administrators/clerks be employed as a matter of urgency to all schools in order to lessen the educators’ workload especially the principals, for the benefit of accomplishing the objectives of IQMS programmes. Re-training was absolutely a necessity. Delinking of incentives to the development programme was a crucial issue. The researcher also recommended that the IQMS Departmental Officials should monitor the implementation of the programme timeuosly so as to tackle the problems in their premature stages. The improvement of working conditions in schools is essential. Key words: quality performance; quality management; quality performance measurement and quality implementation of IQMS programme.

2020 kommer troligen sammanfattas i historieböckerna som ett mycket turbulent år, många kommer minnas det som ett år fyllt av ångest och oro. Pandemin har orsakat världsomfattande restriktioner vad gäller resmönster, fysiska restriktioner och länder har stängt ned helt. Detta har inte bara förändrat våra vardagliga rutiner, ändrat våra levnadsmönster, utan omdefinierat mycket av det vi finner normalt. I företagsvärlden har många organisationer utmanats både i uthållighet men också verksamhetens flexibilitet. För att kunna överleva har det varit avgörande för organisationer att ändra sitt sätt att arbeta. De har varit tvungna att anpassa stora delar av organisationen till det nya normala. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka organisationers anpassningar av sitt arbete med kvalitetsledning och kvalitetsutveckling under pandemin. Ambitionen har varit att bidra med kunskap som förklarar delar av de omställningar som gjorts under det senaste året. Denna uppsats sammanfattar en handfull organisationers anpassningar med avseende på både företagets struktur och deras förmåga att vara stabil i en värld i förändring. Denna studie baseras på semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra olika organisationer, aktiva inom både privat och offentlig sektor. Resultaten visar att alla deltagande organisationer i sin kontext har varit framgångsrika i sina anpassningar under det senaste året. Vi kan dra slutsatsen att anpassningar som gjorts är likartade i varje organisation, med störst inverkan på arbetsmiljö och kommunikation. Inom området kvalitetsledning och kvalitetsledningssystem har ingen av de deltagande organisationerna gjort någon betydande förändring. Resultat som visar att det är Quality Management Systems (QMS) som har gjort det möjligt för organisationerna att vara stabila över tid. QMS har varit en möjliggörare för bibehållen kvalitet i produktionen. En begränsning i studien är att ingen av de studerade organisationerna har misslyckats med att anpassa sig. Det är möjligt att organisationer som inte har varit lika framgångsrika avstått från att delta i undersökningen. Det är möjligt att det inte är så attraktivt för en organisation att öppet erkänna att de inte var utrustade för de förändringar och krav som pandemin orsakat. / The year of 2020 will go down in history as a year with a lot of turbulence, it's likely to be remembered by many as one of the most agonizing years in modern times. Due to the pandemic, we have seen countries shut down completely from one day to another. The world spread disease has caused worldwide restrictions in travel patterns, physical regulations and lockdowns. This has not only changed our everyday routine, the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. But it has also tested the corporate world to the limits. Organisations have been challenged both on their resilience and endurance. The need for adaptation has never been greater. To be able to survive in this uncertain world, it has been crucial for organisations to change their way of work. The purpose of this study is to explore how organisations have adapted to the variation caused by the pandemic. Contributing with knowledge explaining what have been the hardest transitions along the past year. This thesis summarizes a handful of organisations adaptations, regarding both the company's structure and their capability to be stable in a world in change. This study is based on semi structured interviews with four different organisations, three of them active in the private sector whilst the other one in the public sector. Results show that all the participating organisations have been successful in their transitions over the last year. We can conclude that there are similarities within the companies' adaptations strategies, with the biggest impact regarding the working environment and communication. In the field of quality management and quality management systems, none of the participating organisations have made any significant change. Results showing that it's the QMS that have enabled the organizations to be stable over time. A limitation of this study is a bias related to that none of the participating organisations have failed to adapt. It is possible that organisations who are not as successful, decline to participate in surveys and interviews. It may not be that attractive for an organisation to admit that they were not equipped for the dramatic changes the pandemic caused. / <p>2021-06-06</p>

Air pollution caused by ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is a significant global environmental problem. Pollutants that adhere to PM 2.5 may be transported into human respiratory system and perturb the redox equilibrium through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus leading to myriad health effects. This mechanism has been proposed to be related with the high redox-active components in PM 2.5, such as transition metals, quinones, and humic-like substances (HULIS). This thesis aims to improve the scientific understanding on the sources and health impacts of PM 2.5 especially its HULIS fraction. Thus, both chemical characterization and redox activity measurement of ambient PM 2.5 samples were conducted. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was then performed to apportion the source-specific contributions to PM 2.5 and its oxidative potential. The HULIS fraction of PM 2.5 was also quantified and source apportioned regarding their mass concentration and oxidative potential. The main findings are summarized below: (1) In Chapter 2, 66 PM 2.5 samples collected in Hong Kong during 2016-2017 were analyzed, including carbonaceous components, major ions, metals, and some source markers. The oxidative potential of PM 2.5 were measured using dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. Results showed clear temporal trends for both PM 2.5 mass concentration and its major fraction, with higher levels observed on days under regional pollution than on days under long range transport (LRT) pollution and local emissions. The DTT consumption of PM 2.5 on the contrary, only showed slightly higher activity on regional and LRT days than on local days, possibly due to the comprehensive effects of different sources and species concentrations under different sampling days. We then conducted source apportionment using PMF model. Five primary sources (i.e. marine vessels, Cu-related source, Fe-Mn-Zn-related source, vehicle emissions, biomass burning) and one secondary source were resolved for both PM 2.5 mass concentration and DTT activity. Secondary formation was found to be the most significant source responsible for PM 2.5 mass concentration (30.3%), followed by Cu- related source (24.8%), marine vessels (17.9%) and vehicle emissions (14.5%). Biomass burning (6.8%) and Fe-Mn-Zn-related source (5.8%) were two minor sources contributing to PM 2.5 mass concentration. For oxidative potential of PM 2.5, Cu- related source was the predominant contributor (39.1%). Secondary formation (23.7%) and marine vessels (20.1%) were also two significant sources responsible for the DTT consumption of PM 2.5 . For intrinsic oxidative potential, PM 2.5 emitted from marine vessels and Cu-related source showed highest value, indicating more toxic feature of PM 2.5 derived from those sources regarding DTT activity. (2) In Chapter 3 and 4, the mass concentration, optical properties, and ROS- generation potential of HULIS were investigated in PM 2.5 samples collected in Hong Kong during 2011-2012. They all showed higher levels on regional days than on LRT days and local days. PMF analysis was conducted regarding the mass concentration and ROS activity of HUILS. Six sources were determined, including four primary sources (i.e. marine vessels, vehicle emissions, industrial exhaust, and biomass burning) and two secondary sources (i.e. secondary organic aerosol formation and secondary sulfate). Most sources showed higher contributions to both mass concentrations and DTT activity of HULIS on regional days than on LRT and local days, except that marine vessels had a higher contribution on local days than the other two synoptic conditions. Secondary processes were the major contributor to HULIS (54.9%) throughout the year, followed by biomass burning (27.4%) and industrial exhaust (14.7%). As or the DTT activity of HULIS, biomass burning (62.9%) and secondary processes (25.4%) were found to be the top two contributors. Intrinsic ROS-generation potential of HULIS was also investigated by normalizing the DTT activity by HULIS mass in each source. HULIS from biomass burning were the most DTT-active, followed by marine vessels; while HULIS formed through secondary processes were the least DTT-active. For the optical properties of HULIS, multiple linear regression model was adopted to evaluate the contributions of various sources to the light absorbing ability of HULIS. Biomass burning was found to be the only source significantly associated with the light absorbing property of HULIS. In Chapter 5 and 6, the predominant species of water-soluble fraction of PM 2.5, HULIS, were measured in samples collected in Beijing from 2011 to 2012. Various HULIS species, and the redox activity of HULIS were quantified together with certain source markers of PM 2.5. HULIS and their redox activity showed similar temporal trend, with higher levels measured during the heating season (November to March) than during the non-heating season (April to October). Source apportionment of both HULIS and their redox activity was performed using PMF. Four combustion-related primary sources, namely coal combustion, biomass burning, waste incineration, and vehicle exhaust, and one secondary factor were resolved. In particular, waste incineration was identified as a source of HULIS for the first time. Biomass burning and secondary aerosol formation were the major contributors (>59%) to both HULIS and associated DTT activity throughout the year. During the non-heating season, secondary aerosol formation was the most important source, whereas during the heating season, the predominant contributor was biomass burning. The four combustion-related sources accounted for about 70% of HULIS and their ROS activity, implying that future reduction in PM 2.5 emissions from combustion activities can substantially reduce the HULIS burden and their potential health impact in Beijing.

Air pollution caused by ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is a significant global environmental problem. Pollutants that adhere to PM 2.5 may be transported into human respiratory system and perturb the redox equilibrium through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus leading to myriad health effects. This mechanism has been proposed to be related with the high redox-active components in PM 2.5, such as transition metals, quinones, and humic-like substances (HULIS). This thesis aims to improve the scientific understanding on the sources and health impacts of PM 2.5 especially its HULIS fraction. Thus, both chemical characterization and redox activity measurement of ambient PM 2.5 samples were conducted. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was then performed to apportion the source-specific contributions to PM 2.5 and its oxidative potential. The HULIS fraction of PM 2.5 was also quantified and source apportioned regarding their mass concentration and oxidative potential. The main findings are summarized below: (1) In Chapter 2, 66 PM 2.5 samples collected in Hong Kong during 2016-2017 were analyzed, including carbonaceous components, major ions, metals, and some source markers. The oxidative potential of PM 2.5 were measured using dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. Results showed clear temporal trends for both PM 2.5 mass concentration and its major fraction, with higher levels observed on days under regional pollution than on days under long range transport (LRT) pollution and local emissions. The DTT consumption of PM 2.5 on the contrary, only showed slightly higher activity on regional and LRT days than on local days, possibly due to the comprehensive effects of different sources and species concentrations under different sampling days. We then conducted source apportionment using PMF model. Five primary sources (i.e. marine vessels, Cu-related source, Fe-Mn-Zn-related source, vehicle emissions, biomass burning) and one secondary source were resolved for both PM 2.5 mass concentration and DTT activity. Secondary formation was found to be the most significant source responsible for PM 2.5 mass concentration (30.3%), followed by Cu- related source (24.8%), marine vessels (17.9%) and vehicle emissions (14.5%). Biomass burning (6.8%) and Fe-Mn-Zn-related source (5.8%) were two minor sources contributing to PM 2.5 mass concentration. For oxidative potential of PM 2.5, Cu- related source was the predominant contributor (39.1%). Secondary formation (23.7%) and marine vessels (20.1%) were also two significant sources responsible for the DTT consumption of PM 2.5 . For intrinsic oxidative potential, PM 2.5 emitted from marine vessels and Cu-related source showed highest value, indicating more toxic feature of PM 2.5 derived from those sources regarding DTT activity. (2) In Chapter 3 and 4, the mass concentration, optical properties, and ROS- generation potential of HULIS were investigated in PM 2.5 samples collected in Hong Kong during 2011-2012. They all showed higher levels on regional days than on LRT days and local days. PMF analysis was conducted regarding the mass concentration and ROS activity of HUILS. Six sources were determined, including four primary sources (i.e. marine vessels, vehicle emissions, industrial exhaust, and biomass burning) and two secondary sources (i.e. secondary organic aerosol formation and secondary sulfate). Most sources showed higher contributions to both mass concentrations and DTT activity of HULIS on regional days than on LRT and local days, except that marine vessels had a higher contribution on local days than the other two synoptic conditions. Secondary processes were the major contributor to HULIS (54.9%) throughout the year, followed by biomass burning (27.4%) and industrial exhaust (14.7%). As or the DTT activity of HULIS, biomass burning (62.9%) and secondary processes (25.4%) were found to be the top two contributors. Intrinsic ROS-generation potential of HULIS was also investigated by normalizing the DTT activity by HULIS mass in each source. HULIS from biomass burning were the most DTT-active, followed by marine vessels; while HULIS formed through secondary processes were the least DTT-active. For the optical properties of HULIS, multiple linear regression model was adopted to evaluate the contributions of various sources to the light absorbing ability of HULIS. Biomass burning was found to be the only source significantly associated with the light absorbing property of HULIS. In Chapter 5 and 6, the predominant species of water-soluble fraction of PM 2.5, HULIS, were measured in samples collected in Beijing from 2011 to 2012. Various HULIS species, and the redox activity of HULIS were quantified together with certain source markers of PM 2.5. HULIS and their redox activity showed similar temporal trend, with higher levels measured during the heating season (November to March) than during the non-heating season (April to October). Source apportionment of both HULIS and their redox activity was performed using PMF. Four combustion-related primary sources, namely coal combustion, biomass burning, waste incineration, and vehicle exhaust, and one secondary factor were resolved. In particular, waste incineration was identified as a source of HULIS for the first time. Biomass burning and secondary aerosol formation were the major contributors (>59%) to both HULIS and associated DTT activity throughout the year. During the non-heating season, secondary aerosol formation was the most important source, whereas during the heating season, the predominant contributor was biomass burning. The four combustion-related sources accounted for about 70% of HULIS and their ROS activity, implying that future reduction in PM 2.5 emissions from combustion activities can substantially reduce the HULIS burden and their potential health impact in Beijing.

A research Report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, 2018 / Cyanobacteria cells enter water treatment plants from the raw water abstracted from surface water destined to supply the water treatment plants. The presence of cells might interfere with purification processes such as coagulation and flocculation and may subsequently result in the release of taste and odourous compounds. This study is aimed at determining the efficiency of a Recovered Wash Water Plant (RWWP), in removing cyanobacteria cells and associated organic compounds at three stages of treatment, namely raw water, after sedimentation and after filtration. Concentration outcomes were statistically analysed to determine removal ability of the RWWP. The cyanobacteria genera Microcystis, Anabaena and Oscillatoria were detected in the three sampling points (raw water, after sedimentation and after filtration) selected. The organic compounds detected included geosmin, 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB), and a cyanotoxin, microcystin. It is recommended that the effectiveness of the RWWP should be investigated seasonally during further research / MT 2020

Yes / A comprehensive literature review reveals a lack of empirical studies investigating the influence of individual readiness of change (IRFC) as a multidimensional construct on effective quality improvement programmes (often referred as TQM) implementation. Much of the normative literature is conceptual in nature. Moreover, there is very limited research investigating the mediating role of employee affective commitment to change (IACC) between IRFCs and TQM. Therefore, this study proposes to fill this gap by providing empirical evidence leading to advancement in the understanding of direct and indirect influences of IRFC components on TQM implementation. To achieve this, a questionnaire-based survey was developed and self-administered to 226 middle managers in Algerian manufacturing organisations (AMOs) with a good rate of return of 52%. The analysis of the collected data revealed that two of the IRFC components, namely personally beneficial and change self-efficacy are the most supportive IRFC dimensions for TQM implementation. Furthermore, the results of this study show support for the mediating role of IACC in the relationship between IRFCs and TQM implementation. Therefore, this paper makes a novel contribution by providing a refined and deeper comprehension of the relationships between IRFCs and TQM implementation.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-145).

Managers today are faced with a bewildering choice of Management Standards that are being promoted to improve personal and organisational performance by a wide range of Standards-setting bodies. Standards-based management is a well-researched field, but all the research concentrates on individual Standards such as ISO 9000 and 14000 without identifying the influences of other Management Standards. This research seeks to extend the debate about Standards-based management and to encourage other researchers to consider it as both an entity and a phenomenon and to note its divergence from other management theories. A taxonomy of Management Standards is presented to enable the principal Standards to be categorised and a definition of a Management Standard is proposed to enable the distillation of the considerable body of literature into more manageable proportions. A chronology of Management Standards development is tabled and compared with the evolution of Quality Management and Total Quality Management (TQM) and the possible future development of Management Standards is examined. The literature research confirmed that Standards-based management approaches had increased very significantly, despite a lack of empirical research to show that this method of management yielded uniform improvements. It identified a trend for integrating Management Standards and creating a “super” Management Standard that would incorporate all the functions of management within an organisation. The Scottish Quality Management System (SQMS) is an integrated Management Standard that incorporates many of the key functions of management within an audited Management Standards framework that its architects claim is based on the principles of TQM. While originally developed for the Scottish training provider network in 1993, it has spread internationally and is currently in use by circa 600 organisations in several countries. It is the only example of a Management Standard of this kind, and despite its longevity, extensive coverage and significant public investment, it has not attracted any previous research interest. The SQMS project was ambitious, seeking to impose a major new Standard on a diverse and predominately unsophisticated population of organisations within a tight time frame. The field research surveyed the entire SQMS registered organisation population using a questionnaire that was based upon the principles of ISO 9004: 1994 and some preliminary research. The questionnaire was designed to examine attitudes and motivation, as well as gauging the effectiveness of the SQMS Standard as determined by an analysis of the improvements that could be directly associated with its implementation. The survey achieved over 70% response rate and the resulting data set was comprehensive and the analysis robust. An additional element of the research compared the results of the questionnaire response analysis with the perceptions of the SQMS Auditors who had audited a majority of the respondent organisations. The field research showed that the SQMS population was very experienced and had been working with SQMS for well over three years. This is a period that the literature research indicated was the minimum time required for the benefits of quality improvement initiatives to become measurable. In the absence of any clear published objectives for the implementation of SQMS, a number of likely objectives were postulated and these objectives were measured against the results of the research. The results of the research suggest an attitude of compliance, rather than improvement as the underlying mind-set of the SQMS organisations and an absence of quality improvement planning or measurement of key performance indicators. This attitude was no different among organisations that had also adopted ISO 9000 and IiP. SQMS accreditation had not shown to provide any marketing or promotional benefit in the same way as ISO 9000 and it had not led to increased market share or profitability. Few of the possible benefits of applying a Standard of this nature had been realised by the majority of organisations and there was little evidence of tangible organisational improvement. The Standard could not be deemed to have met its proposed objectives and a comparison with an accepted model of TQM did not find sufficient compatibility to designate SQMS as a tool for TQM implementation. The interviews with SQMS Auditors identified major discrepancies between their perceptions and the views of the organisations that they audited. The admission by over half of the respondent organisations that they produced evidence purely to satisfy audits raised questions about the effectiveness of the Standard and its audits and the competence of auditors to audit “super” Standards. The novelty of the research is examined and suggestions for future research proposed.