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Article
Publication date: 22 November 2011

Andrea Chiarini

The purpose of this paper is to compare and discuss the evolution of six important management systems: Japanese Total Quality Control (JTQC), Total Quality Management (TQM)…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare and discuss the evolution of six important management systems: Japanese Total Quality Control (JTQC), Total Quality Management (TQM), Deming's system of profound knowledge, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Lean Thinking and Six Sigma. Indeed, the contribution of this paper lies in the concurrent analysis and classification, by the means of a literature review, of the results and critical implementation factors of the six systems. Deming's Plan‐Do‐Check‐Act (PDCA) has been used to classify the findings from the literature review.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology is based on a literature review. The literature review has been carried out for each single system, trying subsequently to compare and discuss the results.

Findings

Inside the six systems, nine common factors have been found and proposed. They are: results and benefits; management style; deployment of the system; employee management, deployment and participation; voice of the customer; tools, techniques and IT; optimisation of the system; day‐by‐day check and control of the results and review of the system.

Research limitations/implications

This paper presents some limits due to the fact that it is based on a literature review. This implies that more research about the findings should be carried out: TQM in Western companies, Six Sigma that could have substituted TQM, Six Sigma and TQM in Japan, Deming's system developments and the influence of the Japanese style on Lean Six Sigma.

Originality/value

For the first time a paper tries to compare and discuss the six most important systems dedicated to quality and operations improvement.

Details

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, vol. 2 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-4166

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 1947

In the good old days, before civilisation and artificial eating habits caught up with mankind, the majority of people in the world got all the Vitamin B and protein their bodies…

Abstract

In the good old days, before civilisation and artificial eating habits caught up with mankind, the majority of people in the world got all the Vitamin B and protein their bodies needed through micro‐organic foods. Before the discovery of tea and coffee as beverages, European man drank beer and ale, and the people of Africa, Asia and Australasia drank palm wines. These drinks were prepared by the use of micro‐organisms or fermentation, and supplied large quantities of high‐grade protein and Vitamin B, so essential for health and growth. With the discovery of food yeast and the proposed manufacture of this remarkable food in the British Colonies, the modern diet is going to be revolutionised. The manufacture of bakers' yeast is a simple process and has been known to man for hundreds of years. Into a certain weight of yeast is. introduced a solution of sugars, nitrogen and phosphates and this is allowed to multiply and grow until it has increased its weight fourfold. During this time air is pumped into the solution so the micro‐organisms can breathe, and at the end of nine hours the yeast in the vat is separated from the bulk of the used food solution, washed and pressed ready for use. Yeast has become in recent years increasingly popular as a food, and research workers, knowing the value of yeast in the diet to correct deficiencies, have not been idle in this field. For many years Dr. A. G. Thaysen, Ph.D., M.Sc., has been conducting experiments with yeast, and now, under the auspices of the Colonial Products Research Council, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is setting up a Micro‐biological Research Laboratory to carry out further experiments. As a result of visits to the West Indies by Sir R. Robinson and Professor Simonsen, it has been decided that this laboratory should be built in St. Clair, Port of Spain, where Dr. Thaysen will conduct experiments for an initial period of three years. Dr. Thaysen is of Danish origin, a naturalised British subject. He went to England early in 1914 to work at the Lister Institute on micro‐organisms, and when World War I. broke out the Admiralty secured his services for special war work. After the war he continued his research work with the Admiralty, and in 1936 his laboratory was transferred to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Recently the Colonial Products Research Council, by arrangement with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, secured Dr. Thaysen's services for the study of food yeast in the West Indies. Whereas bakers' yeast will only increase fourfold in nine hours, it has been possible to increase the weight of food yeast 64‐fold in the same time, and this yeast shows the same behaviour in its life cycle as is characteristic of all free living bacteria. The aim of these experiments is the manufacture of food yeast on an industrial scale, and some years ago a small pilot plant was started at Teddington, England, where some 100 to 150 lb. of food yeast could be produced weekly. With the experience gained at this plant, the Colonial Office has set up a commercial scale plant in Jamaica with funds provided under the Colonial Development and Welfare Act. Jamaica was chosen for the site of this first pilot plant in the West Indies because the West Indies Sugar Company had the available accommodation, surplus power and technical staff to manufacture food yeast economically, and also had adequate supplies of molasses, sugar and cane juice close at hand. A similar plant is under construction in India. In planning for a wide scale manufacture of food yeast it is necessary to select localities where there is an abundant and cheap supply of the necessary sugars or other carbohydrates. The West Indies and India, for instance, can supply molasses; Africa, maize and other grains; the Middle East, citrus fruit and carob beans; and Canada, Newfoundland and the United States, waste sulphite liquor from the manufacture of paper. Food yeast, as produced in the pilot plant, is a light, straw‐coloured flaky powder with a pleasant nutty or meaty flavour. It has a protein content of between 40 and 45 per cent., contains some 2 per cent. of phosphorus, a balanced proportion of Vitamin B, riboflavin and nicotinic acid, and is superior to liver and the various yeast extracts at present on the market. One ton of food yeast can be produced from 1·7 tons of sugar products or other carbohydrates. Food yeast has been fed successfully to livestock with remarkable results, and for human consumption it can be incorporated into flour for bread and biscuits and used for flavouring soups and stews. To quote Dr. Thaysen : “ It is essential to produce food yeast at the lowest possible price if it is to serve its primary purpose of supplying those sections of humanity who are least blessed with worldly riches with a wholesome and abundant protein and Vitamin B food.” In other words, it can well be seen that the discovery of food yeast is going to be one of the greatest contributions science has made in our own time, the atomic bomb notwithstanding, and with so many people in the world at the moment suffering from years of malnutrition in varying degrees, food yeast is going to be one of the Allied Nations' greatest contributions to the rehabilitation of the world and the immediate need to feed Europe, after years of war, can be faced confidently now that Jamaica is producing it in sufficient quantity.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 49 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 21 November 2008

Kelly Smith

E3, standing for Embedding Enterprise Education, started in August 2006 as a HEIF3 funded initiative to promote the learning and teaching of enterprise or entrepreneurship across…

1309

Abstract

Purpose

E3, standing for Embedding Enterprise Education, started in August 2006 as a HEIF3 funded initiative to promote the learning and teaching of enterprise or entrepreneurship across all subject areas of the University of Birmingham. This paper aims to explore how the initiative was marketed to academic Schools at a time when the RAE was taking high priority, discuss the levels of engagement across campus, and provide examples of E3 funded projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Each of the 19 academic Schools of the University of Birmingham were encouraged to apply for an award of up to £10,000 to help with the development of subject‐specific enterprise education opportunities, linked to accredited modules of study for delivery in 2007‐2008. E3 was marketed and presented to Schools and individual staff in a variety of ways depending on their needs and local priorities.

Findings

Discussions with Schools has suggested that enterprise education can be integrated into the curriculum without enterprise‐related learning outcomes having to replace subject‐specific outcomes. To date, 6 E3 projects have been fully approved and several more applications are in progress. All 19 Schools have engaged with E3 at some level and are more aware of the benefits that enterprise education can bring to their students. Schools have identified different priorities including issues around: entrepreneurship; social enterprise; self‐employment and consultancy; or, perhaps not surprisingly for a research‐led institution, using enterprise‐related knowledge and skills to help identify, apply for, and manage research funds.

Practical implications

E3 has shown that enterprise education has relevance to and can be embedding within many subject areas in Higher Education. Not all Schools were able to engage with E3 in its original format and the initiative has been altered and extended to help more Corporate Units, Schools, and Colleges engage in 2007‐2009.

Originality/value

E3 is providing insights into if and how enterprise and entrepreneurship can be promoted to subjects and staff that may not previously been persuaded of its benefits, and for who research is often the top work priority.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 50 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1997

Ruth Joyce, Marilyn Toft and Eric Winstone

Describes the Promoting Health in Secondary Schools project, which was commissioned by the Health Education Authority in January 1994. The aim of the project was to support…

553

Abstract

Describes the Promoting Health in Secondary Schools project, which was commissioned by the Health Education Authority in January 1994. The aim of the project was to support regional and local education and health professionals and colleagues in secondary schools in their efforts to develop effective whole‐school approaches to health at the levels of both policy and practice. The work was co‐ordinated by the Institute of Education and Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Gives, as an example of what can be achieved, a range of future projects identified by one of the secondary schools involved. Concludes that the project was able to stimulate healthy alliances, create opportunities for sharing effective practice and influence local funding priorities. Evaluation showed that health issues, if developed in a whole‐school context, can articulate closely with wider school and community concerns about making school more effective and increasing school achievement. Regrets that the project was not extended beyond the stage described.

Details

Health Education, vol. 97 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1991

Glenn P. Hoetker

What if you could rub your computer three times and get the answers to all your pressing questions? That isn't possible yet, but the new Djinni (Dow Jones International Network…

Abstract

What if you could rub your computer three times and get the answers to all your pressing questions? That isn't possible yet, but the new Djinni (Dow Jones International Network for News and Information) service comes close. More than simple information retrieval, Djinni allows you to follow topics of interest, compile historical backgrounds to important events, make your own connections between new stories, and share that information with co‐workers worldwide.

Details

Online Review, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-314X

Article
Publication date: 1 November 1914

That the health of the body is very closely connected with the nature and quantity of the food we take is a statement in the nature of a self‐evident proposition. When we desist…

Abstract

That the health of the body is very closely connected with the nature and quantity of the food we take is a statement in the nature of a self‐evident proposition. When we desist from eating food, starvation sets in after a longer or shorter period, according to the individual; when we eat too much or drink too much, distressing symptoms as inevitably supervene. Moreover, the quantity of food or drink consumed is not the only factor. The quality also is a matter of supreme importance, as in cases of malnutrition, while the various forms of blood disease, more or less loosely classed together as anæmia, appear to be associated to some extent with the question of nourishment. Without going so far as extreme partisans do who would seek to prove that all diseases are ultimately due to the consumption of unsuitable food, as witness, for instance, the views of the more advanced vegetarians and fruitarians, who attribute cancer and other maladies to the eating of meat, it is obvious that a very close connection exists between the health of the body and the nature of our food supply.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 16 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 1 September 1917

We are requested to publish the following Manifesto:—

Abstract

We are requested to publish the following Manifesto:—

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 19 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 4 November 2014

Kelly Smith, Dina Williams, Naveed Yasin and Ian Pitchford

The purpose of this paper is to present a survey of postgraduate research (PGRs) students studying at the University of Huddersfield, concentrating on entrepreneurial attributes…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a survey of postgraduate research (PGRs) students studying at the University of Huddersfield, concentrating on entrepreneurial attributes and the importance of enterprise-related skills future career intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Electronic survey questions asked respondents to rate their confidence in a series of enterprise-related skills, and each skill's importance in their career development. Identification with attributes relating to independence, risk taking, self-efficacy, tolerance of ambiguity, and innovativeness were explored. Further questions probed the importance of enterprise skills development, research impact, and career aspirations including business start-up potential.

Findings

Respondents identified with entrepreneurial attributes and were positive towards enterprise skills development. The majority felt that their research could have commercial impact, and over a third reported that starting a business appealed to them. Comparisons of importance and confidence ratings identified skills areas where confidence was relatively low and needed to be improved, where there is a large gap between confidence and importance, and where a skill was rated as having lower importance than is optimal from an institutional perspective. Interestingly, different groups of students considered “self-employment” compared with “business start-up” as a career option.

Research limitations/implications

These single-institution results suggest that PGRs are more entrepreneurial than might be expected. Is the higher education (HE) sector underestimating the entrepreneurial potential of the PGR population, their appetite for engaging in enterprise, and their enterprise and commercialisation training needs?

Originality/value

The results have relevance for the HE community in terms of understanding PGR entrepreneurial attributes, and training needs for enterprise and commercialisation of research output.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 56 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1981

C.A. Smith

A review of paint and other coverings that were used, mainly during the 19th Century, to protect against corrosion.

Abstract

A review of paint and other coverings that were used, mainly during the 19th Century, to protect against corrosion.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 28 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1946

The action of the Ministry of Food, which was designed to check the abuses that had developed with regard to the advertising of food stuffs and the labelling of packages made up…

Abstract

The action of the Ministry of Food, which was designed to check the abuses that had developed with regard to the advertising of food stuffs and the labelling of packages made up for the retail trade, is not only most welcome but very necessary in the public interest. The term “misleading” is applied by the Ministry to the proceedings that have led them to take action. It is accurate, but official reticence necessarily causes it to be somewhat lacking in vivacity. The fact is that the consumer, for a number of years past, has been misled by means of deceptive labels and advertisements, as to the real nature of an admittedly important part of his food supply. The wording of the suggested code is incidentally exposure and condemnation of this. The mislabelling of foods has for a very considerable time attracted the attention of Public Analysts and of others who are interested in the purity of our food supply and in public health. We need only refer to the periodical reports of the health authorities to obtain convincing proofs of the need that had arisen for official action. The cruder forms of this particular species of fraud were obvious and scandalous. Others were more subtle and less obvious. With regard to the former we have had “digestive teas” said to contain a lower proportion of tannin than ordinary blends, but found on examination to contain the normal quantity. “Diabetic foods ”containing unaltered starch though the label said otherwise. “Cream” made of nut oil, and so forth. Vitamins then appeared on the scene. Their discovery aroused great public interest, and certain types of food manufacturers took good care that this interest, however unenlightened it might be, should not be allowed to flag. On the contrary, it was recognised as a valuable trade asset and it was therefore encouraged by advertisements which were not characterised by pedantic adherence to accuracy. Accuracy of statement was in fact not demanded at that time by anyone, and it was not supplied by the advertisers who, in apparent confidence, proclaimed in many of these advertisements the superior vitamin content of the food advertised and the peculiar advantage to health that would accrue to the consumer of it. The campaign was entered on with a light heart and was for a time successful. The statements made proved to be very effective stumbling blocks for the blind, and sales, presumably, increased. Unfortunately everybody whose business it was to manufacture certain kinds of processed foods thus advertised began to be involved. The straightforward manufacturer found his interests threatened by the action of his less scrupulous competitors. The unscientific use of the commercial imagination in this respect threatened to bring about a chaotic state of affairs when it was used as a weapon in acute trade competition. The great complexity of the chemical and physiological problems which a study of the vitamins involves was, and is, recognised by all who have dealt with these matters. In 1936 the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington, in a report, dealing with the misleading and deceptive labelling of food, says “originally jam invariably consisted of fruit plus sugar, but keenness of competition amongst manufacturers to secure the ‘lion's share’ of the trade led to the substitution of such cheaper substances as apple pulp, pectin and fruit juices for a percentage of the named fruit, with a consequent lowering of the general standard of the jams placed on the market. The jam manufacturers apparently became alarmed at the chaotic condition which they themselves had created.” The result, as we all know, was the drawing up of unofficial standards for jam by the trade and primarily for the benefit of the trade. The interests of the consumer were by no means the main object of the transaction. We have referred to this episode of some ten years ago and more because the question of the vitamin and mineral content of certain foods both in kind and quantity seemed to be drifting into the same unsatisfactory condition. Some of these foods were made for the benefit of children or of persons in a weak state of health. It was therefore the more important that they should be what they claimed to be. It may be conceded that under certain conditions unofficial regulations are better than no regulations at all, but it is unquestionably better that if regulations are to be made they should be made by impartial official experts and receive ipso facto the support of law. This has now been done. The interests of the consumer as well as legitimate trade interests, which theoretically at least should be identical with those of the consumer, have been taken into account. Under the Labelling of Food (No. 2) Order, 1944, it will be remembered, the disclosure of the quantity of vitamins or of minerals is obligatory. This, however, is not sufficient. Not only must the quantity of vitamins or minerals be disclosed, but that quantity must be such as to justify the claims made in respect thereof, and further the amount of the food “which an average consumer may reasonably be expected to consume daily should contain not merely a significant quantity of the vitamin or mineral in question, but a quantity sufficient in the light of modern nutritional science to justify whatever reference is made to it in the advertisement or on the label.” These remarks are quoted from the preamble to the suggested code of practice in framing labels and advertisements. The code was drawn up in response to many requests from traders to the Ministry of Food, and the composition of this suggested code is the result of the consultation of the Ministry with the Medical Research Council. It is printed verbatim below:—

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 48 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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