The impact of employees’ attributes on the quality of food products
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management
ISSN: 0265-671X
Article publication date: 29 April 2014
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the importance of specific, quality-related employees’ attributes to the enhancement of product quality in food companies. The main goal is to examine the synergistic relationships between specific employees’ attributes, which have been related in literature to ISO 9000 successful implementation, to continuous improvement, operational performance and product quality.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis includes an initial exploratory factor analysis, followed by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, in order to investigate the relations between the constructs of the proposed model.
Findings
The findings reveal that although the examined quality-related “employees’ attributes” do not directly contribute to “product quality”, they influence both “continuous improvement” and “operational performance” of food firms. The results also confirm the impact of both “continuous improvement” and “operational performance” on “product quality” and also that “continuous improvement” helps explain “operational performance”.
Research limitations/implications
The domain in which the model has been validated, the restricted use of moderators in the model and lack of empirical validation of the model in non-food sector companies, based on various respondents from each company, are a number of limitations associated with this study which suggest future research proposals.
Practical implications
The findings of this study can motivate managers of food companies to focus on certain quality-related employees’ attributes in order to boost continuous improvement of ISO 9001 systems and operational performance of their companies, leading to product quality enhancement.
Originality/value
This study finds particular relevance in emphasizing that although specific quality-related employees’ attributes, as these are detected in literature, have a significant contribution towards continuous improvement and operational performance, they are not the only critical factor leading to product quality. More complex relationships need to be considered by integrating other constructs as major antecedents of food product quality.
Keywords
Citation
P. Kafetzopoulos, D., D. Gotzamani, K. and L. Psomas, E. (2014), "The impact of employees’ attributes on the quality of food products", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 500-521. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-05-2012-0057
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited