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To provide a sound discussion on the Six Sigma methodology and see how it fits in with other quality initiatives.
Abstract
Purpose
To provide a sound discussion on the Six Sigma methodology and see how it fits in with other quality initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual paper that takes at in‐depth look at the origins, pros and cons of Six Sigma and how it relates to some of the other quality initiatives in industry.
Findings
The immediate goal of Six Sigma is defect reduction. Reduced defects lead to yield improvement; higher yields improve customer satisfaction. Six Sigma defect reduction is intended to lead to cost reduction. It has a process focus and aims to highlight process improvement opportunities through systematic measurement. Six Sigma implementation can have negative consequences if applied in the wrong project. Six Sigma is a toolset, not a management system and is best used in conjunction with other more comprehensive quality standards such as the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence or the European Quality Award.
Research limitations/implications
This is a conceptual study and hence there are no hypotheses tested as in an empirical study. It does provide a good foundation for future research.
Practical implications
A very useful source of information and impartial advice for practitioners and researchers planning to practice the Six Sigma methodology and/or understand its pros and cons.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified information/resources need for Six Sigma methodology. It is based on utilizing an extensive set of statistical and advanced mathematical tools, and a well‐defined methodology that produces significant results quickly. The success of this methodology within an organization has significant momentum that can only lead to fundamental organizational cultural transformation.
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Betina Gardner, Trenia L. Napier and Russell G. Carpenter
Utilizing creative campus partnerships, alliances, and mergers, libraries can move from a traditional support role to a more participatory role that actively engages a…
Abstract
Utilizing creative campus partnerships, alliances, and mergers, libraries can move from a traditional support role to a more participatory role that actively engages a university’s academic mission. Libraries, as centralizing, politically neutral hubs for information, can serve as catalysts for collaborative planning that paves the way for creating innovative campus spaces and services in conjunction with other academic or general campus units. By forging alliances and merging services and resources with campus partners, such as Information Technology (IT) and the English and Communication departments, the library can address student need and initiate transformational changes—changes that are broader in scope than those within traditional library functions. The case study in this chapter provides an exploration of the merging of library services with a writing center, an effort which was enhanced by adding an oral communication support service. It provides examples of what can be accomplished through visionary leadership and teamwork in 21st-century academic libraries, focusing on how student need and library use prompted institutional change at a mid-sized regional comprehensive university. The authors highlight the essential structural and operational mergers and alliances involved in integrating existing and developing library and campus initiatives to create a unique integrated service point for research, writing, and oral communication in the heart of the university’s main library. The case study also identifies continued partnership and collaboration, and briefly outlines methods through which libraries might initiate similar transformational changes and mergers at their own institutions, serving as a model for similar alliances in other settings.
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Gretchen Stolte, Noel Zaro and Kaylynn Zaro
This chapter focuses on creating a Torres Strait Island perspective on the research ethics and cultural protocols of Islander dance. Previous research into Torres Strait Islander…
Abstract
This chapter focuses on creating a Torres Strait Island perspective on the research ethics and cultural protocols of Islander dance. Previous research into Torres Strait Islander cultural dance has traditionally focussed on the music and songs and rarely on the movements themselves or the cultural protocols of dance. Specifically, we explore how Islander dance from the Island of Mer (Meriam Kab) is not only created and practised but also how that information is communicated. This chapter asks the questions – how should Meriam Kab be researched? What are the protocols and processes that need to be followed? What is the role of Elders and how important is their place in the practice of dance? These questions will be explored through the cultural dances performed by the Gerib Sik Torres Strait Islander Corporation as an inroad into the significance of Meriam Kab as expressions of Meriam identity. Gerib Sik has a long tradition of cultural consultation in the development of their dances, and this chapter is co-authored by the directors. Through this writing, we hope to shine a spotlight on Meriam Kab research by illustrating the importance of the specificity of Islander identity.
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Ian Haynes and Noel Frost
Presents numerous issues faced by Australian manufacturers andexplains the functions of the Queensland Manufacturing Institute,developed by the government to provide support by…
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Presents numerous issues faced by Australian manufacturers and explains the functions of the Queensland Manufacturing Institute, developed by the government to provide support by way of advice, training, consultancy services, research and technology available and gives two examples of successful government assistance.
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Researchers and practitioners working within transdisciplinary research projects face specific challenges when addressing representation of evidence-based concepts across complex…
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Researchers and practitioners working within transdisciplinary research projects face specific challenges when addressing representation of evidence-based concepts across complex occurrences, particularly when delivering a visitor experience design and documentary film encompassing an extensive cultural and natural heritage timeline period. In this chapter, these challenges are explored from the contrasting points of view of the view of the principal investigator and design lead and the filmmaker and researcher within an ongoing transdisciplinary research project Portalis, which is funded by the ERDF through The Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme.
The Portalis visitor experience design promotes and supports citizen science-based climate action behavioural change within six distinct Irish and Welsh cross-border coastal communities. It explores whether there are any parallels with how we can adapt to climate change now, with a focus on the resilience and innovation evidenced within Waterford's earliest settlements during and after South East Ireland's earlier climate change periods. The design research and the filmic documentation of archaeological and geological surveys is employed to map the story of these early post-glacial settlements 10,000 years ago along the Waterford Estuary. Interwoven through this mapping is a demonstration of how those living along the Estuary are preserving their maritime heritage through citizen science led engagement and community initiatives.
Adding a deep resonance to the research project, singular to Waterford, a new vision is called for; an acknowledgement of Waterford City and its Estuary as an area of unique conservation and growth and a recognition of this much travelled waterway as a designated and protected cultural landscape. A successful transdisciplinary approach creates a rich and accessible resource towards recognising the Estuary's cultural and marine heritage in city planning for the future. In so doing, it broaches the so-called rural-urban divide, adds to the global community of practice and allows for reflection on how urban planning can learn from our past in this context.
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THE high standards of examination and qualifications for membership set by the Institute of Incorporated Work Study Technologists can be seen in the new Prospectus just issued by…
Roshis Krishna Shrestha, Jean-Nöel Patrick L'Espoir Decosta and Rupa Shrestha
This study aims to integrate social embeddedness with learning society philosophy to explore how grassroots associations of Indigenous women tourism entrepreneurs can leverage…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to integrate social embeddedness with learning society philosophy to explore how grassroots associations of Indigenous women tourism entrepreneurs can leverage their social network to co-create value.
Design/methodology/approach
A critical feminist perspective considers the intersectional experiences of Indigenous women tourism entrepreneurs from the rural Manasalu region of Nepal. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews with local tourism stakeholders were carried out. Hermeneutics in tandem with Indigenous methods of analysis ensured consideration of Indigenous ontologies and social locations beyond being merely theoretically driven.
Findings
A paradox of Indigenous women’s empowerment emerged where several efforts for empowerment presented themselves as a double-edged sword. Individuals’ social capital and social support for the sustenance and stability of grassroots associations ensure collective and continuous learning through a value-creation framework.
Research limitations/implications
Collective self-reflection and self-determination for knowledge creation and sharing amongst social ties shed new light on the role of an Indigenous standpoint on value creation.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that captures how the intersectionality of Indigenous women entrepreneurs in grassroots associations use their social capital through contesting, leveraging and learning to transform their social network into a value network.
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Cindy L. Pressley and Michael E. Noel
Metaphors are used a great deal in theory but are not always fully explained. This paper expands on the carnival metaphor used by Boje (2001) by clarifying the type of carnival…
Abstract
Metaphors are used a great deal in theory but are not always fully explained. This paper expands on the carnival metaphor used by Boje (2001) by clarifying the type of carnival the metaphor describes, in this case the sideshow carnival. The sideshow carnival metaphor helps to explain how emotional labor can be used to avoid situations of administrative evil that have been partially caused by the separation of mind/body of public servants operating in public space. The authors of this article illustrate the application of the sideshow carnival metaphor by showing how emergency professionals in the area of natural disaster management have become more professionalized over the last several decades. This professionalization has led to a focus on the rational mind over the emotional body. By engaging in emotional labor, emergency professionals are engaging in carnivalesque behavior that helps to repair the mind/body connection. If the connection is not repaired, the rational mind will take over and the public space wherein the emergency professional exists can co-opt the professional leading them to be unable to see the potential evil acts they might commit.