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It is argued that quality improvement efforts play an important role in industrial organizations by altering the role of the human resource management (HRM) function and the human resource professional as TQM is consistent with a move towards a more strategic HRM approach. Investigates and empirically tests the current status of the quality improvement efforts in selected industrial organizations in Greece and analyzes the “HR elements” related to these efforts. Also examines the extent to which Greek industrial organizations differentiate in the way they utilise their human resources as well as in the influence their human resource/personnel departments enjoy. The main findings of the study were that HR function in Greek industrial organizations has been seriously neglected for years and the role of the personnel professionals in quality improvement efforts has been overlooked.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of work group diversity dynamics as a novel approach for studying diverse work groups. The authors profile the dynamic processes within diverse work-groups and provide an overview of main objectives.

The paper draws on years of accumulated diversity research to cast a temporal and dynamic lens on the processes taking place within diverse work groups. After outlining the state of the art in work group diversity research, the definition, overall framework and profile of work group diversity dynamics is offered.

The paper argues that by adopting a temporal and dynamic perspective for studying diverse work groups, one can shift focus from the traditional perspective of “what is diversity” to “what happens within diverse work groups”. The paper disentangles the activities taking place within diverse work groups, defines the actual team processes and finally highlights how these processes might be affected by time and dynamism.

After almost 30 years of diversity research the mechanisms and processes through which diversity is translated into individual and organizational outcomes are not yet sufficiently understood and studied. This paper highlights a temporal and dynamic perspective for studying work group diversity, a view that is yet uncharted in diversity literature.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the cost of quality (CoQ) of food manufacturing companies. The study aims at empirically validating the conceptual structure of the core dimensions of CoQ (prevention, appraisal, internal and external failure cost) and determining their level and relationships. Determining the reasons for not measuring the CoQ as well as the barriers-difficulties and benefits of the CoQ measurement is also an aim of the present study.

Greek food manufacturing companies were approached through a structured questionnaire and 91 participated in the study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis are applied for data analysis.

The structure of the core dimensions of CoQ is empirically validated, while all of them range within medium levels and are inter-related. The reasons for companies not measuring the CoQ as well as the barriers-difficulties of companies measuring the CoQ are not significant. On the contrary, significant benefits are derived from the CoQ measurement.

The small sample of the food manufacturing companies operating in one country and the subjective business evidence collected are the main limitations of the present study.

Food companies can be motivated to establish a robust CoQ measurement system, which would reflect the level of the CoQ dimensions. According to the results of the CoQ measurement, a food company can make decisions to increase the prevention and appraisal costs and decrease the internal- and external-failure costs in order to be more competitive in the market.

The paper provides deeper insights into the level and inter-relations of empirically validated CoQ dimensions. Very few studies on the CoQ in food manufacturing companies have been carried out in Greece and the present study makes the picture of the CoQ status in this sector more clear.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an exploratory literature review investigating the similarities and differences in TQM implementation between 3PL organisations and organisations with an in-house logistics function.

The authors collected all relevant papers covering both types of organisations implementing TQM worldwide in a time period from 1991 until today. The aim was to identify key papers and analyse its contents based on the quality of services provided by these two types of organisations.

The survey contains information about the forces that encourage managers to implement quality practices in the logistics function, the reasons that impeded the implementation of such a quality programme, the quality methods being used and also the level of their satisfaction with the current quality management in logistics.

This paper only mentioned the principal papers that have been published globally from 1991 – today.

The present study is one of the few that reviewed literature from the year 1991 – today in order to provide a comparison of quality management practices between 3PLs and in-house Logistics organisations.

This study aims to focus on the food industry and empirically examine the mediating role of consumers’ perceived food safety on the relationship between a company’s service recovery and customer loyalty. In addition, consumers’ demographic characteristics and their influences on the relationship between perceived food safety and customer loyalty are determined.

A survey was carried out through a structured questionnaire which was administered to the public. Using a small intercept interview, a random sample of 836 usable questionnaires was collected in Greece. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to validate the proposed constructs. The causal relationships among constructs were examined using structural equation modeling.

According to the findings, consumers’ perceived food safety partially mediates the effect of a company’s service recovery on customer loyalty. The socio-demographic profile of consumers (gender, marital and parenthood status) also significantly influences the underlying factors of product and the loyalty attributes.

This study enriches the existing literature of food safety by examining the distinct role that consumers’ perceptions play in forming loyalty, highlighting the importance of companies’ recovery efforts. The results obtained from this analysis offer a better understanding of consumer behavior toward food safety – encouraging and supporting food companies to successfully design their marketing strategies. Food safety issues also have become increasingly important in international trade, which makes it essential to understand consumer perceptions and behavior toward food safety.

This study fills the identified literature gap and contributes to the literature, as no previous study has examined the proposed relationships in the food sector, taking into consideration food safety issues.

The purpose of the paper is twofold: first, to examine the interaction of quality, safety and crisis management (CM), and second, to explore the role played by an HR department in terms of CM.

This paper consists of two parts: theoretical and empirical. The theoretical part follows the approach of an extended literature review. The empirical part illustrates the statistical analysis of the obtained data from Greek organizations that employ the largest number of employees, regardless of their business sector.

The statistical analysis allowed the authors to confirm their main research hypotheses. First, it showed the interrelationship that exists between safety, quality and CM. Second, it presented the impact of this relationship on human resources and the vital role of HR department, in case of a crisis.

Organizations and their top management can review and redesign their CM procedures according to the findings of this survey, aiming a fast recovery and a return to normalcy.

Based on the literature review, there has been a little research work on the interrelationship between safety, quality and the level of CM familiarity and the role of HR department at the times of crisis. The added value of attaining this goal may become a motivational element for any organization and its top management to continue investing more in safety, quality and CM issues.

The purpose of this study is to determine the main total quality management (TQM) factors adopted and the respective results achieved by local authorities – municipalities. Determining the degree to which TQM influences the respective results is also an aim of the present study.

A research study was designed to be carried out in Greek local authorities – municipalities, 125 of which were approached through interviews with chief executive officers (CEOs) based on a structured questionnaire. The TQM practices and results identified in the literature were used as measured variables of the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were applied for the purpose of the study.

The TQM philosophy is not highly adopted by the Greek local authorities participating in the present study. Moreover, the Greek local authorities do not seem to derive significant TQM benefits. Finally, adopting TQM strongly and positively influences, first, operational and quality performance of the local authorities; second, citizen satisfaction and society results; and third, employee satisfaction.

Subjective data were collected from the CEOs of a small sample of local authorities operating in a European Union country, under circumstances of financial crisis. Based on these limitations, future research studies are recommended.

Areas for improvement are identified for a local authority to develop a robust TQM model, approach business excellence and derive significant benefits.

This is the first research study in the field of TQM to be conducted at city-level administration in Greece.

The purpose of this paper is to study the management systems integration from both sector and size perspectives.

Extant literature is reviewed focussing on food-related management topics. A single case is used to delve into the understanding of integrated management systems (IMSs) using the contingency approach. Data are drawn from documents and archives, on-site observations and by interviewing employees of all hierarchy levels.

This case shows how size and sector-related constraints may condition integration in terms of IMS scope, strategy, level, audits, resources, motives, benefits and difficulties. Traceability is identified as an integration “catalyst” for multiple MSs in food companies. It is further discussed, how an environmental management system would be embedded within the existing integrated structure.

Conclusions bring to light the sustained business leverage provided by food IMSs. Thus, food industry managers are driven to streamline the quality, food safety and environmental processes following an IMS approach. Future research on multiple cases of different size would reflect a wider IMS sector-specific perspective. Research on other sectors is expected to provide different particular aspects of integration, as well.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first in-depth study on the adoption of an integrated generic and sector-specific MS from the contingency perspective. The case visualizes the contribution of integration when addressing the critical food safety and quality operations and the significant environmental aspects.

The main objective of this paper is to theoretically investigate the human resources (HR) context and content on total quality management (TQM), business excellence and ISO 9000:2000.

The HR‐quality relationship has largely been ignored or underestimated. This paper investigates the existing literature and digs into the various approaches and frameworks in order to evaluate the rhetoric and the reality of this relationship. The examination of differences, similarities and convergence is of high importance in understanding the contribution of HR issues to all of these quality approaches.

Besides the “good stories” of implementation of the European Quality Award (EQA) model, the ISO 9000:2000 certification and TQM, the paper reveals a number of problematic areas in relation to effective HR utilization such as: low utilization of employees' skills and knowledge, lack of a vision and a mission for HR followed by systematic design and implementation of strategic human resource management (HRM) practices.

This is the first step towards an understanding of the current status of the HR context and content on TQM, business excellence and ISO 9000:2000. The paper addresses a series of issues concerning organizations worldwide in their road to quality improvement and business excellence. There is a need to further evaluate organizations by measuring their HR performance and the degree of quality implementation in the future.

The paper is aiming at both Quality and HR people within the organization. Quality cannot be achieved without fully utilization of organization's HR, and the HR function needs a new vision and practices that are focused on internal customer satisfaction.

The paper provides a reliable and objective depiction of the current status of the HR context and content on TQM, business excellence and ISO 9000:2000 through the examination and analysis of a state‐of‐the‐art literature review studies, including all the various approaches, practices and perceptions recorded so far in the literature ‐some of them based on empirical data and some deriving from rhetoric and “good‐stories” or “how things ought to be” perspective.