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Given the rapid recent growth in ISO 9000 applications and the business performance benefits being claimed for it by National Accreditation Registrars, it is timely to review the research in this area to see if any substantial proof exists for these claims. The paper explores the literature and finds that there is no proven link between quality certification (ISO 9000) and improved business performance. However, it is clear from the research reviewed on business performance factors, that better quality does have a consistent, positive relationship with business performance. Combining these findings leads to the inference that quality certification to ISO 9000 standards is not consistently associated with having a quality assurance system that delivers improved process control, or better quality. We conclude that the National Accreditation Registrars need to reflect on the standards of proof that they currently use to support claims for business performance improvement from the application of the ISO 9000 standards.

The conventional wisdom of managers in the US dictates that improving product quality will increase the cost of making the product which will either increase the price or reduce the profits. Shows that improving the quality of a product or service will not necessarily increase its manufacturing cost. Obtains information on fundamental theories and case histories from business literature and uses evidence to support the hypothesis from the case histories of several US companies which have achieved higher quality with lower quality costs and improved profitability. Examples from the literature include the case histories of companies such as Florida Power & Light, Globe Metallurgical, Motorola, and Westinghouse Commercial Nuclear Fuel Division. These examples indicate increases in return on assets, improved customer satisfaction, increased market share, and increased revenues and profits. Suggests that a company which can achieve successfully both higher quality and lower cost will have improved productivity, lower manufacturing costs, better quality, greater customer satisfaction, a higher market share and greater profitability.

The operating theater (OT) is resource-intensive, costly and assuring its productivity is a high priority. This study aimed to examine a quality management model's effects on a hospital's OT productivity.

The participatory action research approach was used for the intervention. A multidisciplinary quality improvement team was formed. The team improved OT operational processes using an eight-step quality management model. OT’s key performance indicators such as surgical cases, surgical cancellation, bill deductions, successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation, patients' complaints and employees' job satisfaction were collected before the intervention and compared with those of after intervention to determine the efficacy of the quality management model.

Applying a quality management strategy increased surgical patients' number by 14.96%, reduced surgery operations cancellation by 14.6 %, and decreased bill deduction by 44.9%. Besides, successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation increased by 21.17%, patients' complaints reduced by 61.5% and, finally, staff satisfaction increased by 15.6 %. Improved OT productivity resulted in improved financial performance. As a result, the OT revenue has risen by 68.8%.

This study highlights that implementing the right quality management model properly enhances hospitals' productivity. It also offers suggestions on how to implement a quality management model successfully in a hospital setting.

ISO certification is expected to help organisations to enhance quality and efficiency, improve communications, achieve competitive advantage and an increase in market share, reduce costs and achieve a higher stock price. This paper presents the results of a study to identify management attitudes towards ISO 9001:2000. To realise this goal, a sample consisting of 38 managing directors (MD) in Egypt was obtained. Results indicated that Egyptian organisations have a high level of understanding of the purpose of ISO certification. The main motivators behind the implementation of certified quality system in Egypt were to improve the efficiency of the quality system, and to cope with pressures from competitors/foreign partners. The principal perceived benefits of ISO 9001: 2000 for Egyptian organisations include improved documentation, improved efficiency of the quality system and more effective supplier selection.

An increasing demand of agricultural intensification and value addition necessitates the use of improved inputs such as improved seed. Smallholder farmers contribute about 70% of agricultural production in Tanzania. Agriculture sector in Tanzania contributes about 24.1% of the GDP, 30% of exports and 65% of industrial raw materials. Thus, agriculture development, economic growth and industrialization are inseparable. Due to the nature of the product, smallholder farmers cannot judge the overall excellence of seed at the time of buying. This paper assessed quality uncertainty in maize and vegetable seed and its implication for market exchange between farmers and seed sellers in Kilolo district, Iringa Tanzania. The study used a random sample of 130 smallholder farmers and representatives from ten seed companies. Asymmetric information prevails between the two trading sides, i.e. sellers and buyers, leading into quality uncertainty. Moreover, product augmentation is profoundly overlooked whereby most of seed companies have not augmented their products. Because an improved seed is a quintessential example of an experience good, quality uncertainty of some crop varieties under field conditions favored some seed brands to be used more by farmers compared to others. This paper offers a thorough deduction on quality uncertainty under farmers' field condition and its implication on market exchange. It adds information in the body of knowledge on how an improved seed can contribute to sustainable production of food and industrial raw materials, which is a step towards desired industrialization agenda in Tanzania.

Manufacturing organizations have begun to implement green supply chain management (GSCM) practices in response to customer demand for products and services that are environmentally sustainable and that are created through environmentally sustainable practices and in response to governmental environmental regulations. Despite rising concerns about green management, there seem to be few studies investigating GSCM and its impacts on the operational competitive capabilities from a developing economy. The purpose of this paper is to understand the extent of GSCM practices’ implementation in Ghana and how such practices impact firms’ operational competitive capabilities.

Structural equation modeling was used to study the relationship between GSCM practices and firm operational competitive performance in terms of cost, quality, flexibility, and delivery time using a survey of informants.

Using data from Ghana, the work demonstrates that GSCM practices such as environmental management systems (EMSs) and green purchasing (GP) practices will have a positive relationship with firm’s operational competitive performance in terms of cost, quality, and flexibility, but seems to have no positive relationship with delivery time. Further moderation analysis indicates that the paths from environmental management practices to reduced cost and flexibility were significant, indicating that the effect of environmental management practices on operational efficiency differs among services, manufacturing, construction and mining. The paths from Green purchase to improved quality, delivery time, flexibility, and reduced cost were insignificant.

The results indicate the relevance and the implications of GSCM practices such as implementing comprehensive EMSs and GP on operational competitive performance on firms from a developing country such as Ghana. Specifically, the results indicate that when organizations invest in GSCM practices, they are likely to achieve cost reductions, improved quality, and flexibility. The relationship between GSCM practices is moderated by various industrial sectors.

The research shows how GSCM practices such as EMSs implementation and GP practices can enhance firm’s operational competitive performance.

The work illustrates and provides some insights and build on the literature in the area of green supply chain and firms’ operational competitiveness from a developing country’s environment.

Recently, ISO 9000 and its associated versions are rapidly becoming a “license to compete” worldwide. Its standards are generic in the way that they can be applied to all functions and all industries in various areas of human endeavor. They have been described as the “one size fits all” standards. In developing countries like Pakistan, adoption and implementation of ISO 9000 quality management system is slow due to lack of awareness and initiatives. The present study is an attempt to analyze different practices of ISO 9000, like its status, problems faced (before, during and after implementations), benefits gained, its impact, certification cost, the next step after ISO’s 9000 certification, critical success factors, the role of training, consultancy, top management support, use of ISO 9000 in the international markets, future prospects and in particular, general practices of ISO 9000 in the Sports Industry of Pakistan. In this study, detailed case studies clearly explain the current status and existing practices of ISO 9000 in the sports industry.

Improving the quality of life of the masses is the prime objective of all policymakers of both developed and developing countries. However, the determinants of improved quality of life are not well explored in the empirical literature. This study has, therefore, tried to identify the determinants of quality of life by focusing on military expenditures.

Panel data from 1990 to 2017 are collected from internationally reliable sources for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN hereafter) member countries, and suitable econometric techniques are employed to estimate the designed models.

The results show that military expenditures have affected the quality of life of the ASEAN member countries both negatively and significantly. Similarly, the inflation rate has also negatively affected the quality of life. In terms of magnitude, the negative impact of the inflation rate on quality of life has exceeded than the impact of military expenditures. On the other hand, trade openness, per capita income, urbanization and government expenditures have played a positive and significant role in improving the quality of life in the ASEAN region. Moreover, it is found that the positive impact of per capita income on quality of life is highest among other determinants.

This study provided comprehensive evidence about the relationship between military expenditures and quality of life in the ASEAN context. Consequently, the ASEAN member economies will benefit a lot from the results of this study.

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and to present an overview of TPM implementation practices adopted by the manufacturing organizations. It also seeks to highlight appropriate enablers and success factors for eliminating barriers in successful TPM implementation.

The paper systematically categorizes the published literature and then analyzes and reviews it methodically.

The paper reveals the important issues in Total Productive Maintenance ranging from maintenance techniques, framework of TPM, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), TPM implementation practices, barriers and success factors in TPM implementation, etc. The contributions of strategic TPM programmes towards improving manufacturing competencies of the organizations have also been highlighted here.

The literature on classification of Total Productive Maintenance has so far been very limited. The paper reviews a large number of papers in this field and presents the overview of various TPM implementation practices demonstrated by manufacturing organizations globally. It also highlights the approaches suggested by various researchers and practitioners and critically evaluates the reasons behind failure of TPM programmes in the organizations. Further, the enablers and success factors for TPM implementation have also been highlighted for ensuring smooth and effective TPM implementation in the organizations.

The paper contains a comprehensive listing of publications on the field in question and their classification according to various attributes. It will be useful to researchers, maintenance professionals and others concerned with maintenance to understand the significance of TPM.