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A country’s performance in health attainment refers to both its achievement (level) and its improvement (evolution) in the health domain. Studies on performance generally measure health attainment using the average health level of the population and quantify health improvement employing the change in attainment over time. However, this approach is flawed because the change in attainment does not satisfy good properties, on the one hand, and because health attainment should not only account for the average health level but also for disparities in health in the population, on the other hand. We propose a solution to the first limitation by following the lead of Kakwani (1993), who uses achievement and improvement measures which are based on attainment measures and which satisfy important properties. For the second limitation, we extend the work of Kakwani and propose new definitions of attainment that account for the average health level but also for health inequalities in the population. Specifically, we focus on overall and social health inequalities and on the health of the poor. By including these new attainment variables into Kakwani’s indices, we generate new classes of achievement and improvement indices. Using data on 11 low- and middle-income Asian countries in the twenty-first century, we highlight that child and maternal health have generally improved in recent decades, due to both an increase in the average health level and a decrease in inequalities.

This paper is aimed at measuring and comparing the quality of life in European Union (EU) and Turkey as an important candidate country on the process of integrating with the EU. Rather than using per capita income as a classical measure, this study uses social indicators of development as a measure of well‐being. Instead of using human development index (HDI) – an index commonly referred as “deprivation index” – we adopt the indices that are developed in Zaim, Fare and Grosskopf. The “achievement index” measures the success of a country in the provision of standard of life. On the other hand “improvement index” is used to measure the improvement of the country over time in terms of its life quality. The stated results suggest that Turkey should improve its quality of life on the way of integrating with the EU.

Purpose – This study aims to determine the results of productivity index, profitability and improvement of company prices and to understand the relationship between partial input factors and productivity, profitability, and price fixing.

Design/Methodology/Approach – In this work, the productivity at the palm oil factory PT Sayaukath Sejahtera was measured and evaluated by using The American Productivity Center (APC) model approach.

Findings/Results – The results showed that each index that has been analyzed has a 5.143% decrease in the productivity index per year with a profitability equal to 0.286% per year and an increase in the price improvement index of 5.143% per year. Thus, it is concluded that from each index that has been analyzed, there is a decrease in the productivity index and profitability per year and there is an annual increase in the price improvement index.

Research Limitations/Implications (if applicable) –

Practical Implications (if applicable) –

Originality/Value –

Continued quest for business improvement in terms of enhanced productivity and cost cuts is the most valued strategic function in an organization. Towards this endeavor, there have been evolutions of many problem-solving techniques like Lean, quality control (QC) tools, Six Sigma, total productive maintenance (TPM), etc. This paper introduces a different problem-solving methodology for quality improvement – prepare, measure, define, establish, control and stabilize (PMDECS) approach of Red Bin Analysis (RBA) – and presents empirical evidence of its effectiveness in eliminating the defectives at source (parts per million [PPM]) and improving the process capability (Cp).

An attempt has been made to compare RBA with the Six Sigma methodology in terms of number of defects, defectives, process capabilities, project duration, etc. Data validation with more than 2000 data points was conducted based on empirical data collected over multiple problem-solving projects conducted in six manufacturing industries of India to compare the effectiveness of both the methods. Finally, fuzzy AHP (analytical hierarchy process) model was proposed to identify the Quality Improvement Index for both the methods to address the manager’s dilemma in selecting an appropriate problem-solving method.

The paper provides empirical insights in establishing that the PMDECS approach of RBA is at par and sometimes better for problem-solving if the problem is not chronic and is at the initial stages, it requires less duration than Six Sigma projects and except casting process and it can yield better results in case of PPM rejection or Cp/Cpk improvement in other processes.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. This research has been specifically conducted in automotive manufacturing industries. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further.

The paper includes implications for the usage of alternative problem-solving methods, like PMDECS approach of RBA.

This paper intends to compare how the results of six sigma projects in manufacturing industries are effective against a different methodology, PMDECS approach of RBA.

Average quadratic quality loss function (QQLF) measures quality of a given process using mean shift from its target value and variance. While it has a target parameter for the mean, it lacks a target for the variance revisable for counting any progress of the process across different quality levels, above/below the standard level; thus, it appears too general. Hence, in this research, it was initially supposed that all processes are located at two possible quality spaces, above/below the standard level. The purpose of this paper is to propose a two-criterion QQLF, in which each criterion is specifically proper to one of the quality spaces.

Since 1.33 is a literarily standard or satisfactory value for two most important process capability indices C_p and C_pk, its upper/lower spaces are assumed as high-/low-quality spaces. Then the indices are integrated into traditional QQLF, of type nominal the best (NTB), to develop a two-criterion QQLF, in which each criterion is more suitable for each quality space. These two criteria have also been innovatively embedded in the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle to help continuous improvement. Finally, the proposed function has been examined in comparison with the traditional one in Feiz Hospital in the province of Isfahan, Iran.

Results indicate that the internal process of the studied case is placed on the lower quality space. So the first criterion of revised QQLF gives a more relevant evaluation for that process, compared with the traditional function. Moreover, this study has embedded both proposed criteria in the PDCA cycle as well.

Formulating the two-criterion QQLF only for observations of normal and symmetric distributions, and offering it solely for NTB characteristics are limitations of this study.

Two more relevant quality loss criteria have been formulated for each process (service or manufacturing). However, in order to show the comprehensiveness of the proposed method even in service institutes, emergency function of Feiz Hospital has been examined.

The traditional loss function of type NTB merely and implicitly targets zero defect for variance. In fact, it calculates quality loss of all processes placed on different quality spaces using a same measure. This study, however, provides a practitioner with opportunity of targeting excellent or satisfactory targets.

Libraries constitute a highly developing area as they always enrich their offered services in order to satisfy users' expectations. One of the most important factors in customization strategies and improvement of individual services must be user preferences. However, customization requires an in‐depth analysis of user preferences and an evaluation of future behavior. The main objective of this paper is to present a framework for analyzing changes of user preferences in a library.

The paper presents detailed results of two independent user satisfaction surveys conducted in an interval of five years in the Library of the Technical University of Crete and analyzes them using a proposed framework. However, the framework can be applied in every modern library. The analyses are based on non‐parametric statistical techniques and a multicriteria satisfaction analysis method, which is a multicriteria preference disaggregation approach.

Overall, user judgments for both surveys show that 50‐70 percent of users are “very satisfied” or “satisfied”. The percentage of “satisfied” users increased from 2005 to 2010 (almost 18 percent) and “very satisfied” remained almost the same.

Results are mainly focused on the evaluation of potential trends of user preferences. Furthermore, results of a benchmarking analysis are also presented, based on the evolution of satisfaction levels for the quality characteristics of the offered services.

The goal of the presented study and proposed framework and methodology is to help library decision makers track changes to user preferences and improve the provided services according to those preferences.

The purpose of this paper is to show the implementation of a maintenance management model based on total productive maintenance (TPM) in a production line of a metallurgical company, with high-precision equipment requiring effective maintenance to maintain the quality of the production process.

Has been proposed a model for conducting the activities, emphasizing the training activities of the teams involved in the implementation, collection and analysis of industrial performance indicators from a year before the implementation of TPM. The development followed the timetable of activities and the results of these performance indicators were collected again after the application of the model.

It observed that after the implementation of TPM, and the results of these performance indicators were collected again after the application of the model. Thus, it is concluded that the TPM assists in improving industrial performance and competitiveness of the production line studied.

The angle, from which the paper approaches the TPM problem, is original for the studied company and shows positives results. It allows the company to apply the model in their others production lines and factories to achieve an improvement in industrial performance and competitiveness.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel hybrid approach to assess marketing-based flexibility with respect to its source factors, enablers and attributes.

The study demonstrates an application of a hybrid principal component analysis (PCA)-analytical hierarchical process (AHP)-multi-grade fuzzy approach (MFA) to measure marketing-based flexibility. Using PCA method, attributes, enablers and source factors of marketing-based flexibility were identified and a conceptual model was developed. AHP and MFA were used to compute marketing-based flexibility index.

The proposed approach measures existing level of marketing-based flexibility and therefore it identifies weak areas that should be taken care to improve flexibility.

The scope of the study is limited to plant level. The validity of the proposed approach is shown using a case study. For generalisation point of view, the application of this proposed approach should be investigated in a large number of firms in different industrial settings.

The study gives a reliable and valid method, which combines both statistical and MCDM techniques to measure existing level of flexibility and identify weak areas for flexibility improvement.

The findings provide insight into factors that should be worked upon to improve flexibility.

The paper aims to present a clear methodological path for assessing the competitiveness of a specific industrial sector with the use of the Industrial Excellence Award (IEA) model. The paper introduces the concepts evaluated by the IEA model and addresses the ways with which varied management data may be analyzed in order to provide useful insights for improvement in industrial processes such as new product and process development, supply chain management, strategy formulation and deployment.

Sixty European textile companies provided information concerning their business processes over the course of three years in accordance with the Industrial Excellence Award (IEA) model developed by INSEAD Business Schools. Subsequently, the textile industry companies were compared with 73 excellence‐driven European manufacturers which either won or distinguished themselves in the award competition during the same time period. The management information from both datasets was treated with the proper statistical tools (according to their nature) in order to attain secure and minimally biased conclusions.

The benchmarking process revealed the areas in which the textile sector was lagging behind the excellence‐driven manufacturers. Furthermore, it detected their differences in specific measures of industrial management and business mentality. On a theoretical level, the analysis verified the general reliability of the IEA model's scales, aiming at assessing abstract management constructs while fine tuning them.

The thorough inspection of the textile companies' performance attributes and characteristics has identified many of the sector's shortcomings that merit further investigation.

The results of the analysis served as valuable feedback to textile managers aiming at bettering their industrial processes in many ways, such as benchmarking their performance against their sector or other sectors, and observing trends that managers from other sectors are putting effort into in order to improve their performance.

The paper provides a clear‐cut methodology for the understanding and statistical analysis of multifaceted industrial management data included in excellence models.

The purpose of the paper is to illustrate an approach for developing a framework of indicators for integrating environmental protection into corporate performance. This paper also highlights Green Productivity Index (GPI) of the Continuous Improvement (CI) performed in a foundry casting, which includes both economic and environmental performances.

In the paper data were collected from a foundry and used for developing indicators and Green Productivity Index (GPI). Mass balance concept was used for quantification of environmental indicators.

The paper finds the approach adopted will provide a clear guidance for developing indicator and GPI to various types of industries. A casting case indicates that the GPI can be used as an actionable feedback for leadership to make effective decisions.

This research in this paper developed a framework of indicators for measuring direct environmental impact from the foundry, while indirect environmental impact due to electricity consumed has yet to be performed. Limited external validity of the indicator framework, as the analysis was performed in a single foundry.

The paper relies on a unique foundry data. Environmental indicators may vary, since the melting furnace used for melting metal and type of molding process used for making molds may vary from one foundry to another.

This paper is a holistic approach of combining theory and practical ideas to cover the scope of sustainable development. From a research perspective, it establishes a framework of indicators for the integration of environment into foundry and creates new research and application opportunities to other pollution‐intensive industries. From a practical perspective, the framework of indicators developed to this point provides a guideline of immediate applicability.